Given name & surname · also Germanic
Herbert
“an illustrious warrior”
Herbert is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “an illustrious warrior.”
Original GermanHebert
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “an illustrious warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
From Old French Herbert, from Frankish *Hariberht.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Herbert through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 229,383
- 228,266 boys · 1,117 girls
- Most popular year
- 1928
- 8,113 babies
- 2025
- 49
- #2,656 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 49 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,656 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8,065 in 1928. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 71,489 as a first name in 2020; 24,361 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.
Herbert’s family of names
In English usage, Herbert has a diminutive in Bert. In German usage, Herbert shares an earlier linguistic root with Heribert. Herbert has a related form in Heriberto.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Herbert has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
16 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Herbert
- H. G. WellsEnglish writer (1866–1946)
- Herbert Hooverpresident of the United States from 1929 to 1933 (1874–1964)
- Willy BrandtGerman politician (SPD), chancellor of West Germany (1969–1974) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate1913–1992
- Herbert SpencerEnglish philosopher and political theorist (1820–1903)
- Herbert MarcuseGerman philosopher, sociologist, and political theorist (1898–1979)
- H. H. AsquithBritish politician; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916 (1852–1928)
- Herbert von KarajanAustrian conductor (1908–1989)
- Herbert A. SimonAmerican political scientist, economist, sociologist, and psychologist (1916–2001)
- Herbert KroemerGerman-American physics (1928–2024)
Characters named Herbert: Mr. Garrison (South Park), Herbert Powell (the television series The Simpsons).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Herbert, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hubert
“having a shining intellect”
>99% boys
Gilbert
“servant of St BRIDGET” · “of the bright promise”
>99% boys
Herman
“a soldier”
>99% boys
Elbert
“a wellborn man” · “a bright man”
>99% boys
Wilbert
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Hardy
“one who is bold and courageous”
98% boys · 2% girls
Norbert
“one who shines from the north”
>99% boys
Erwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys