Given name & surname
Hero
“the brave defender”
Hero is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “the brave defender.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “the brave defender.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2000. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hero through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,025
- 806 boys · 219 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 82 babies
- 2025
- 70
- #2,195 for boys · #15,768 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +17%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 65 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,195 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Georgia and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 714 as a first name in 2020; 483 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.
Hero’s family of names
Hero has a related form in Heroe. Hero has a related form in Herow. Hero has a related form in Herowe.
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 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hero
- Hero Fiennes TiffinBritish model and actorborn 1997
- Hero of Byzantiumname used to refer to the anonymous Byzantine author of two treatises
- Hero BrinkmanDutch former politicianborn 1964
- Hero Ibrahim AhmedFirst Lady of Iraqborn 1948
- Iro KonstantopoulouGreek resistance member killed aged 171927–1944
- Hero Oomkens von EsensCount of Harlingerland1500–1522
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Hero, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“resembling a dragon”
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Helio
“son of the sun”
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Kyros
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“poet, philosopher”
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Fionn
“a fair-haired man” · “one who is fair; a whiteshouldered woman”
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