Heron
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- HEH-run
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,329 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #5,606 for boys
Heron is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “heron, the wading bird”. In 2025 it ranked 3,329th for boys in the UK (6 babies) and 5,606th for boys in the US (16 babies).
What does Heron mean?
English: English bird name; also an ancient Greek name
“heron, the wading bird”
Hero of Alexandria, also called Heron, was a Greek engineer who described an early steam-powered device, the aeolipile.
Is Heron a girl's or a boy's name?
Heron is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 boys in the UK and 16 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Heron in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,329among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 6about 1 in 50,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 6 boys in the UK were named Heron, making it the 3,329th most popular name for boys.
Among boys in 2025, it was 3,239th in England and Wales.
Heron in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #3,329 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,195 |
How popular is Heron in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,606among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 16about 1 in 110,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 16 boys in the US were named Heron, making it the 5,606th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,037th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 24 boys. It first appears in the records in 1916.
Half of all the boys named Heron in the US since 1880 were born between 1981 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Heron in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #5,606 |
| 2024 | 24 | #4,318 |
| 2023 | 16 | #5,661 |
| 2022 | 21 | #4,697 |
| 2021 | 17 | #5,333 |
| 2020 | 18 | #5,037 |
| 2019 | 13 | #6,401 |
| 2018 | 16 | #5,536 |
| 2017 | 17 | #5,293 |
| 2016 | 8 | #8,811 |
| 2015 | 15 | #5,742 |
| 2014 | 10 | #7,557 |
| 2013 | 12 | #6,598 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8,760 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8,305 |
| 2008 | 19 | #4,897 |
| 2007 | 10 | #7,586 |
| 2006 | 9 | #7,992 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7,089 |
| 2004 | 21 | #4,124 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5,870 |
| 2002 | 9 | #7,048 |
| 2001 | 15 | #4,884 |
| 2000 | 17 | #4,383 |
| 1999 | 15 | #4,531 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 7 | #7,275 |
| 1996 | 16 | #4,016 |
| 1995 | 16 | #3,848 |
| 1994 | 6 | #7,764 |
| 1993 | 9 | #5,764 |
| 1992 | 14 | #4,106 |
| 1991 | 6 | #7,263 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 7 | #6,222 |
| 1988 | 11 | #4,157 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 9 | #4,328 |
| 1984 | 5 | #6,311 |
| 1983 | 6 | #5,481 |
| 1982 | 9 | #4,232 |
| 1981 | 8 | #4,507 |
| 1980 | 12 | #3,429 |
| 1979 | 7 | #4,840 |
| 1978 | 8 | #4,155 |
| 1977 | 6 | #5,121 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 6 | #4,795 |
| 1974 | 9 | #3,556 |
| 1973 | 5 | #5,099 |
| 1972 | 5 | #4,983 |
| 1971 | 5 | #4,905 |
| 1970 | 9 | #3,280 |
| 1969 | 8 | #3,313 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 5 | #3,928 |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 6 | #3,557 |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 8 | #2,872 |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 8 | #2,769 |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 5 | #3,731 |
| 1946 | 5 | #3,523 |
| 1945 | 5 | #3,337 |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 5 | #3,536 |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 5 | #3,644 |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 5 | #3,999 |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 6 | #3,695 |
| 1927 | 7 | #3,450 |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 6 | #3,814 |
| 1919 | 8 | #3,114 |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 7 | #3,176 |
Names like Heron
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hudson Harrison Grayson Mason Hayden Jaxon Deacon Brandon Ashton Harlan Landon Dawson
Names related to Heron
More English names
Lily Evelyn Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel Carter
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Heron: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/heron, updated 20 October 2026.