Given name & surname · also Yiddish
Hersh
“resembling a deer”
Hersh is a variant of Hershel. One Hebrew interpretation is “resembling a deer.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Hersh is a variant of Hershel. One Hebrew interpretation is “resembling a deer.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Hersh comes from Yiddish, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Yiddish הירש (“deer”), from Middle High German hirz, from Old High German hiruz, from Proto-West Germanic *herut, from Proto-Germanic *herutaz.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1959. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hersh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 884
- 884 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 44 babies
- 2025
- 44
- #2,853 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +39%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 44 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,853 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 38.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (33). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 752 as a first name in 2020; 3,358 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.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Hersh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Heri
“army”
>99% boys
Reef
“rope”
92% boys · 8% girls
Ripp
“powerful” · “bright, famous”
>99% boys
Henry
“home” · “power”
>99% boys
Hein
“the ruler of the house” · “God is gracious”
>99% boys
Carlo
“a free man”
>99% boys
Aymon
“ruler of the house; a protector”
>99% boys
Bolt
Bolt is a surname from Dutch, ultimately from Germanic.
>99% boys