Herschel
Masculine · “little deer”
Herschel is a little deer. Yiddish naming used animal names with real affection, and Hirsch — the stag — was among the commonest, often paired with the Hebrew Naftali because of a verse comparing him to a hind let loose.
How old is the name Herschel?
Herschel was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Herschel alive today was born around 1933, making them about 92 years old. About 3,600 people named Herschel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Herschel most popular?
Herschel peaked in 1901, reaching #277 nationally. Today it ranks #3379, 3,102 places below that high. See the whole 1901 chart.
Where it comes from
From hirsh to Herschel
The story of Herschel
Ashkenazi naming ran on two tracks: a Hebrew name for religious use and a Yiddish or vernacular one for everyday life, and the two were often linked by a verse. Hirschel and Herschel belong to that vernacular track. Central and eastern European Jewish emigration brought the name to America in large numbers from the 1880s, where it appears in the registers and peaked around 1910.
Meaning
little deer, stag
From the Yiddish hirsh, 'deer' or 'stag', with the diminutive ending -el. Yiddish names of this kind were often given alongside a Hebrew name with a scriptural link: Hirsch went with Naftali, because Genesis calls Naftali 'a hind let loose'. The pairing is documented and widespread.
How the name formed
- hirsh
- Hirschel
- Herschel
Related forms: Hirshl · Hirsch · Tzvi
Pronouncing Herschel
HUR-shul
Two syllables, stress on the first. German and Yiddish give the first vowel a slightly different quality.
Nicknames for Herschel
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1921277 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #277reached in 1901
- Change vs 2022
- +47.8%34 in 2025, from 23
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.
Herschel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hirshl in Yiddish — related form
- Hirsch in German — related form
- Tzvi in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, New York.
Herschels among us
people named Herschel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 50,238 born in 2025 was named Herschel
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
Herschel 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 Herschel is headed
Herschel is easing off slowly — about 21% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Herschel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Herschel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is concrete and vivid, and the naming tradition behind it is well documented.
- Tzvi, its Hebrew counterpart, means the same thing and is available alongside it.
- Two firm syllables that pair well with almost any surname.
- Several spellings are in use — Herschel, Hershel, Hirschel — and none is dominant.
- It is strongly period-coded to the early twentieth century in American records.
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Herschel
Masculine · #3379 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Herschels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,600 people named Herschel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Herschel in 2025?
- Herschel ranks #3379 among US boy names in 2025, with 34 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Herschel?
- About 1 in every 50,238 US boys born in 2025 was named Herschel — 34 in all.
- Will my child share the name Herschel with classmates?
- Herschel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Herschel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Art#3379 · Sampson#3379 · Kiernan#3379 · Benyamin#3379 · Quamir#3379 · Madhav#3379 · Tuff#3379 · Hubert#3379
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Herschel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Herschel and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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