Hermes
Masculine
Hermes is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 697 boys against 5 girls since 1880.
Hermes is the Greek god of roads, messages, trade and boundaries — the one who crosses between worlds. It is also a very ordinary men's name in the Spanish-speaking Americas, which surprises people who only know the god.
How old is the name Hermes?
Hermes first appears in US birth records in 1924 — 101 years ago. The typical Hermes alive today was born around 2003, making them about 22 years old. About 700 people named Hermes are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hermes most popular?
Hermes peaked in 1969, reaching #2549 nationally. Today it ranks #3181, 632 places below that high. See the whole 1969 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Hermes
Hermes stood at doorways, crossroads and property lines in the Greek world, and stone markers bearing his image were among the commonest religious objects in Athens. His name passed into Latin unchanged and reached the Christian era as the name of several early saints, which is how it entered Spanish and Portuguese naming. It has been used steadily in Latin America ever since, and it appears in American records chiefly with families from there.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The god's own name has no settled explanation. The most-cited account connects it to herma, a heap of stones set up to mark a boundary or a road, which was itself called a herm; that reading is plausible and not proven, and the name may be pre-Greek.
Pronouncing Hermes
HUR-meez
Two syllables, first stressed, in English. Spanish gives ER-mes, with the h silent and a short final vowel.
Nicknames for Hermes
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
- 1924
- Most boys named
- 202537 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2549reached in 1969
- Change vs 2024
- +32.1%37 in 2025, from 28
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.
Hermes in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hermes in Spanish — same name
- Hermes in Portuguese — same name
- Ermis in Greek — same name
- Ermes in Italian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Hermess among us
people named Hermes are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 46,164 born in 2025 was named Hermes
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sion test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Hermes's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sion climbed just as high around 1912, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sion's path sketches the road Hermes is walking now.
Hermes 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 Hermes is headed
Hermes looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 19% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
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.
Hermes beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hermes in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented history reaching from archaic Greek religion to modern Latin American naming.
- In Spanish it is an ordinary name, so it has a real community that uses it without comment.
- Six letters and two syllables, easy to write.
- In English-speaking countries the luxury goods house is the first association, and it is said differently again.
- The English and Spanish pronunciations share almost nothing, so two versions will follow him.
- The meaning is genuinely unknown, which is unusual for a name this famous.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Hermes to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Hermes? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Hermes
Masculine · #3181 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Hermess are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Hermes are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hermes in 2025?
- Hermes ranks #3181 among US boy names in 2025, with 37 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hermes?
- About 1 in every 46,164 US boys born in 2025 was named Hermes — 37 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hermes with classmates?
- Hermes will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hermes
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Diamond#3181 · Walden#3181 · Tobin#3181 · Keion#3181 · Artem#3181 · Arsh#3181 · Kris#3181 · Esau#3181
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hermes? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hermes and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle