Hart
Masculine · “stag”
Hart is given to both — 1,211 boys and 88 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Hart is a stag in Old English — heorot — and Heorot is the name of the mead hall in Beowulf, built and named for one.
How old is the name Hart?
Hart first appears in US birth records in 1888 — 137 years ago. The typical Hart alive today was born around 2000, making them about 25 years old. About 900 people named Hart are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hart most popular?
Hart peaked in 1888, reaching #917 nationally. Today it ranks #2390, 1,473 places below that high. See the whole 1888 chart.
Where it comes from
From heorot to Hart
The story of Hart
Hrothgar's hall in Beowulf is called Heorot, the hart, apparently for antlers mounted on its gable — and the poem's first monster attacks it. The word is related to 'horn'. Hart entered American given-name use recently and appears in the registers in current use.
Meaning
stag, male deer
From the Old English heorot, 'stag' or 'hart', related to 'horn' through a root meaning horned. The surname was a byname. Heorot in Beowulf is the hall named for the antlers on its gable. The etymology is documented.
How the name formed
- heorot
- hart
- Hart
Related forms: Hirsch · Hert
Pronouncing Hart
HART
One syllable. It is a homophone of the English 'heart'.
Nicknames for Hart
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1888
- Most boys named
- 202557 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #917reached in 1888
- Change vs 2023
- +67.6%57 in 2025, from 34
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Hart in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hirsch in German — related form
- Hert in Dutch — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Harts among us
people named Hart are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 29,966 born in 2025 was named Hart
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Hart sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Hart is headed
Hart should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Hart beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hart in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Beowulf's hall is named for a stag is a first-rate literary anchor.
- The connection to 'horn' is a genuinely good etymology.
- One syllable, clean, and never mispronounced.
- It is a homophone of 'heart'.
- It reads unmistakably as a surname.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Hart
Masculine · #2390 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Harts are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Hart are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hart in 2025?
- Hart ranks #2390 among US boy names in 2025, with 57 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hart?
- About 1 in every 29,966 US boys born in 2025 was named Hart — 57 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hart with classmates?
- Hart will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hart
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Quest#2390 · Jovanny#2390 · Ameen#2390 · Devante#2390 · Austyn#2390 · Deklan#2390 · Erwin#2390 · Blaize#2390
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hart? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hart and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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