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Name Lineage

    The first name Hortense

    A girl’s name from French meaning “name of a roman gens”, “having to do with gardens”.

    Pronounced /ˈhɔː(ɹ)tɛns/ 2 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    French origin

    Hortense means “name of a roman gens”, “having to do with gardens” in French.

    From the French form of the Latin Hortēnsia, feminine form of Hortēnsius (“name of a Roman gens”), probably derived from hortēnsis (“having to do with gardens”) on the basis that the first to bear the name was a gardener.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Hortense at birth, 1880–2025

    In 1976, 6 girls born in the United States were named Hortense, the 8,508th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1919, when 229 were.

    0150300 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    6,313
    babies named Hortense since 1880
    #8,508
    rank in 1976
    1919
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Hortense in other languages

    Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary

    Hortensja
    Polish

    Famous people named Hortense

    9 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot
      French painter (1784-1845)
    • Hortense Allart
      French-Italian writer and feminist, 1801–1879
    • Hortense Powdermaker
      American anthropologist, professor and researcher (1900–1970)
    • Hortense Calisher
      American novelist, short story writer, and memoirist (1911-2009)
    • Hortense-Félicité de Mailly-Nesle
      (1715-1799)
    • Eugénie de Beauharnais
      Franco-German princess (1808-1847)
    • Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau
      American chemical engineer (1910-2000)
    • Selma Burke
      American sculptor (1900-1995)
    • Evelyne Sossouhounto
      Benin teacher and politician (1956–2024)

    More French girls’ names

    All 210 names of French origin

    Questions

    What does the name Hortense mean?
    Hortense means “name of a roman gens”, “having to do with gardens” in French.
    What is the origin of the name Hortense?
    From the French form of the Latin Hortēnsia, feminine form of Hortēnsius (“name of a Roman gens”), probably derived from hortēnsis (“having to do with gardens”) on the basis that the first to bear the name was a gardener.
    Is Hortense a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 6,313 US babies named Hortense since 1880 were girls.
    When was Hortense most popular?
    1919 in the United States, when 229 babies were named Hortense, its highest rank at 436th.
    How do you pronounce Hortense?
    Hortense is /ˈhɔː(ɹ)tɛns/, 2 syllables.