Given name & surname · also Gaelic, Germanic
Humphrey
“a peaceful warrior”
Humphrey is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “a peaceful warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “a peaceful warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
From Proto-Germanic *unnaną (“to grant, bestow”).
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
Humphrey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,085
- 1,085 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −20%
- Easing
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 8 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 22 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,034 as a first name in 2020; 46,668 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.
Humphrey’s family of names
Humphrey has an affectionate form in Huffie. In English usage, Humphrey shares a linguistic root with the Old English form Hunfriþ. Humphrey is an English adaptation of Amhlaoibh.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Humphrey has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
7 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Humphrey
- Humphrey BogartAmerican actor (1899–1957)
- Humphrey GilbertEnglish explorer, politician and soldier (1539-1583)
- Humphrey CarpenterBritish writer and broadcaster (1946–2005)
- Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester15th-century English nobleman (1390-1447)
- Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of BuckinghamBritish noble (1402-1460)
- Humphrey Tonkinprofessor of the University of Hartford, esperantistborn 1939
- Humphrey SearleEnglish composer (1915–1982)
- Humphrey CampbellDutch singer (1958–2024)
- Humphrey MijnalsDutch-Surinamese footballer (1930-2019)
Characters named Humphrey: Humphrey Appleby (Yes Minister character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Humphrey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Heeney
“God is gracious”
—
Roley
“from the renowned land”
>99% boys
Horton
“from the gray town”
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Baird
“a minstrel; a poet”
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Gerry
“one who rules with the spear” · “one who is mighty with a spear”
>99% boys
Orvell
“from the gold town”
>99% boys
Orvill
“from the gold town”
>99% boys
McBeth
“the son of Beth”
—