boy's name
Herbert
HER-bert
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 231,721
Ireland
#364
1983 births
Herbert is a boy's name from Germanic elements meaning bright army. Our data marks it stable, and it ranks 817th in England and Wales against 2661st in the United States, where most of its volume was registered.
- Herbert is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1928, when 8,113 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 67,664 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Herbert over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,257 |
| 1890s | 5,670 |
| 1900s | 6,975 |
| 1910s | 34,003 |
| 1920s | 56,846 |
| 1930s | 38,050 |
| 1940s | 28,831 |
| 1950s | 24,407 |
| 1960s | 13,792 |
| 1970s | 7,304 |
| 1980s | 4,488 |
| 1990s | 2,409 |
| 2000s | 1,234 |
| 2010s | 767 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 350 |
What Herbert means
Herbert means bright army, or illustrious warrior. The Germanic joins a word for an army to one meaning bright or famous, so the name describes a force rather than a man.
Where Herbert comes from
Herbert is the Germanic Haribert — hari, an army, joined to beraht, bright or famous. The same beraht ends Albert, Gilbert, Robert and Norbert, and begins Bertram; it is one of the most productive elements in Germanic naming and means shining in the sense of renowned. The Normans brought Herbert to England, where it faded and was revived by the Victorians. The Herberts became Earls of Pembroke, and George Herbert, the metaphysical poet and country parson who died at thirty-nine in 1633, is its most enduring bearer.
Herbert in use
Herbert peaked in the United States in 1928, when 8,113 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 817th in England and Wales on 40 births and 2661st in the United States on 49, across 231,721 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. England and Wales places it more than eighteen hundred places above America, which fits the broader British revival of names last common before 1930.
How popular is Herbert?
In 2025, Herbert was given to 49 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Herbert 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 Herbert
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Herbert also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Herbert over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Herbert
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Herbert 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.
- German
- Heribert
Sibling names for Herbert
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Herbert — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Herbert
What does the name Herbert mean?
Bright army — the Germanic hari, an army, joined to beraht, bright or famous.
Is Herbert related to Albert?
They share the beraht element meaning bright, but differ in the first half.
Where is Herbert most used?
England and Wales at 817th, more than eighteen hundred places above its American position.
How popular is Herbert?
817th in England and Wales, and our data marks it stable.
Is Herbert a girl's or a boy's name?
Herbert is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Herbert?
Herbert has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Herbert?
Herbert is usually shortened to Bert, Herbie and Herb.
Is Herbert a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Herbert currently ranks #817 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.