girl's name · in the US
Heaven
HEV-un (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Girl (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 32,900
the United States
#543
2025 births
Heaven is a girl's name from the English word for paradise, from the Old English heofon. It's a modern American choice, helped by V. C. Andrews's 1985 novel Heaven and by a broader fashion for spiritual word names such as Trinity and Nevaeh.
- Heaven is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2006, when 1,370 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,827 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1971.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Heaven Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 236 |
| 1980s | 634 |
| 1990s | 4,284 |
| 2000s | 12,097 |
| 2010s | 9,643 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,910 |
What Heaven Means
Heaven means paradise or the sky. As a name it describes something beautiful and blessed, and it's a direct statement of hope that needs no translation.
Where Heaven Comes From
Old English heofon, the sky and home of God, is related to Old Norse himinn and German Himmel, though its older root is unclear. English used it in both senses from the earliest records. As a surname it's unrelated: House of Names links the surname to the Welsh ap Evan, son of Evan. The word became a first name only in modern America. Heaven Leigh Casteel, the heroine of V. C. Andrews's novel, gave it a public form, and Nevaeh, heaven spelled backward, surged in US records in 2001.
Heaven in Use
The name belongs with Destiny, Trinity and Genesis in a strong American group of hopeful names. Well-known songs by Bryan Adams and Eric Clapton keep the word in everyday culture.
How Popular Is Heaven?
In 2025, Heaven was given to 569 babies in the United States, ranking #543 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Heaven Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Heaven
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Heaven Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Heaven over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Heaven is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Girls' 98% girls · 7,531 babies
- France Both 40% girls · 570 babies
- Canada Both 78% girls · 372 babies
- England & Wales Girls' 91% girls · 234 babies
How to Say Heaven
- English HEV-un /ˈhɛvən/
Heaven in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Nevaeh
Sibling Names for Heaven
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Heaven — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Heaven
What does the name Heaven mean?
Paradise or the sky, from Old English heofon.
Is Heaven a real name?
Yes. It's an established modern American name.
Is Heaven a girl's name?
It's used mainly for girls.
How popular is the name Heaven?
In 2025, Heaven was given to 569 babies in the United States, ranking #543 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Heaven?
Heaven has 2 syllables.
When was Heaven most popular?
Heaven peaked in 2006, when 1,370 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Heaven a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Heaven currently ranks #543 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.