Herschel
Yiddish name from hirsh, deer, with a diminutive ending; it was traditionally paired with the Hebrew name Naphtali, whose blessing mentions a deer.
Herschel in 2025
Herschel was given to 34 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 7,330th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 97,510 babies born.
The history of Herschel
Herschel reached its highest point in 1921, when 277 babies were given the name, ranking 765th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 716th, in 1912.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 10,674 babies have been named Herschel. Half of them were born before 1933, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Herschel by decade
| Decade | Babies named Herschel | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 150 | 818 |
| 1890s | 262 | 805 |
| 1900s | 359 | 764 |
| 1910s | 1,701 | 716 |
| 1920s | 2,258 | 765 |
| 1930s | 1,476 | 893 |
| 1940s | 1,296 | 1,072 |
| 1950s | 1,012 | 1,417 |
| 1960s | 591 | 2,008 |
| 1970s | 376 | 2,608 |
| 1980s | 402 | 2,964 |
| 1990s | 262 | 4,126 |
| 2000s | 144 | 8,841 |
| 2010s | 204 | 7,439 |
| 2020s | 181 | 6,622 |
Where Herschel is heading
Herschel has risen 26% over the past decade, from 27 babies in 2015 to 34 in 2025.
Names like Herschel
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Herschel.