Given name & surname
Heath
“from the untended land of flowering shrubs”
Heath is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the untended land of flowering shrubs.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the untended land of flowering shrubs.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Heath is a variant of Heather. The history of Heather gives this family its wider story. Heather was in use during the late 19th century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Heath through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 29,704
- 29,523 boys · 181 girls
- Most popular year
- 1974
- 1,264 babies
- 2025
- 253
- #932 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 253 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 932 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,249 in 1974. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (23). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 24,261 as a first name in 2020; 49,412 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Heath’s family of names
In English usage, Heath as a surname shares a linguistic root with the German form Heide. Heath has a related form in Heather. Heath has a related form in Heathe.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Heath
- Heath LedgerAustralian actor (1979–2008)
- Heath SlaterAmerican professional wrestler and actorborn 1983
- Heath PearceAmerican soccer playerborn 1984
- Heath StreakZimbabwean cricketer1974–2023
- Heath BaldwinAmerican athlete (born 2001)
- Heath ShulerAmerican football player and politicianborn 1971
- Heath HerringAmerican martial artistborn 1978
- Heath FreemanAmerican film and television actor (1977–2021)
- Heath BellMajor League Baseball pitcherborn 1977
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Heath, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brent
“from the hill”
>99% boys
Scott
“a man from Scotland”
>99% boys
Shane
“God is gracious”
98% boys · 2% girls
Marlon
“resembling a little hawk”
>99% boys
Clifton
“cliff”
>99% boys
Chad
“one who is warlike”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Chadwick
“from Chad's dairy farm”
>99% boys