Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Hector
“to hold; to overpower”
Hector is a masculine given name from Latin, ultimately from Scottish Gaelic. It is used in English and French.
Original GreekΈκτορας
Meaning & origin
What it means
Hector goes back to Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ-, meaning “to hold; to overpower.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Hector developed from Ἕκτωρ.
The story
In mythological stories, Hector is associated with the prince of Troy.
Hector through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 109,209
- 108,728 boys · 481 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 2,458 babies
- 2025
- 779
- #409 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 779 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 409 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,458 in 2005. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (200). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 168,413 as a first name in 2020; 4,373 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.
Hector’s family of names
Hector has an affectionate form in Heckie. Hector shares a linguistic root with Ettore. In English usage, Hector has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Heitor.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Hector has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Hector comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 20
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 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hector
- Hector BerliozFrench composer and conductor (1803–1869)
- SakiBritish writer1870–1916
- Hector MalotFrench writer (1830–1907)
- Héctor ElizondoAmerican actorborn 1936
- Hector GuimardFrench architect (1867–1942)
- Hector HodlerSwiss Esperantist (1887-1920)
- Hector BianciottiFrench writer (1930-2012)
- Hector BoeceScottish philosopher and historian (1465–1536)
- Hector PietersonSouth African activist1963–1976
Characters named Hector: Hector Barbossa (the Pirates of the Caribbean film series), Hector de Maris (half brother of Lancelot).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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