# Herb (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/herb/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /hɜː(ɹ)b/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 2,007 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,007 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 24, 1996 to 2025 |

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 13 | 2,731 |
| 1973 | 10 | 3,303 |
| 1975 | 7 | 4,511 |
| 1976 | 6 | 5,187 |
| 1977 | 7 | 4,792 |
| 1980 | 9 | 4,274 |
| 1981 | 6 | 5,782 |
| 1982 | 5 | 6,728 |
| 1984 | 6 | 5,859 |
| 1985 | 8 | 4,862 |
| 1988 | 6 | 6,730 |
| 1989 | 6 | 7,339 |
| 1991 | 5 | 8,693 |
| 1992 | 6 | 7,820 |
| 1993 | 6 | 8,013 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 4 | 2,636 |
| 2011 | 3 | 4,647 |
| 2013 | 3 | 4,685 |
| 2015 | 4 | 3,908 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,023 |
| 2021 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2022 | 3 | 4,789 |

## People named Herb

- Herb Ellis, American jazz guitarist (1921–2010)
- Herb Jeffries, American singer and actor (1913-2014)
- Herb Edelman, American actor (1933-1996)
- Herb Brooks, American ice hockey player and coach (1937-2003)
- Herbert Jones, American basketball player (born 1998)
- Herb Vigran, American actor (1910-1986)
- Herb Geller, American saxophonist (1928–2013)
- Herb Williams, American basketball player (born 1958)
- Herb Thomas, American racecar driver (1923-2000)
- Herb Abramson, American record company executive (1916–1999)
- Herb Caen, American newspaper columnist
- Herb Reed, American singer (1928–2012)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.