Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Herbert?
Births per year, rank history and how many Herberts are alive today.
Herbert (male), once a common boys' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 811th in 2025 with 40 given the name. The name peaked in 1904, when around 7,200 babies were given the name, the 21st most popular that year. It has declined since 1904; the 2025 figure is roughly 1% of its peak. Numbers have been falling in recent years. At least 120,000 babies have been named Herbert in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of Herbert include Herbie.
The Herbert you are most likely to meet is around 75 years old. Half of all Herberts born in England and Wales are between 55 and 81, and there are at least 14,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 4.5% chance that at least one of them will be called Herbert.
How many babies are named Herbert each year?
Where does Herbert rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Herbert most popular?
Herbert peaked in 1904, when around 7,200 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called Herbert?
At least 14,000 people named Herbert born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Herbert?
Most living Herberts are between 55 and 81; the most common age is about 75.
Is Herbert becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1904 peak.