Hershel
Yiddish name built on hersh, meaning deer, with a diminutive ending; it was traditionally paired with the Hebrew name Naphtali.
Hershel in 2025
Hershel was given to 48 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,776th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 69,070 babies born.
The history of Hershel
Hershel reached its highest point in 1924, when 226 babies were given the name, ranking 855th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 827th, in 1932.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 10,334 babies have been named Hershel. Half of them were born before 1939, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Hershel by decade
| Decade | Babies named Hershel | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 47 | 1,479 |
| 1890s | 73 | 1,639 |
| 1900s | 202 | 1,161 |
| 1910s | 1,133 | 861 |
| 1920s | 2,032 | 835 |
| 1930s | 1,756 | 827 |
| 1940s | 1,440 | 944 |
| 1950s | 1,006 | 1,387 |
| 1960s | 652 | 1,986 |
| 1970s | 411 | 2,803 |
| 1980s | 306 | 3,998 |
| 1990s | 263 | 4,935 |
| 2000s | 361 | 5,228 |
| 2010s | 386 | 5,698 |
| 2020s | 266 | 5,521 |
Where Hershel is heading
Hershel has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 49 babies in 2015 to 48 in 2025.
Names like Hershel
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Hershel.