Herbert is a distinctive choice, ranked #811 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Herbert in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2025
#811
Ad
About the Name Herbert
Herbert has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 314 places in five years. It was most popular in 2016 at #672 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Herbert is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Herbert in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Herbert
Herbert Chitepo — Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo was a Zimbabwean lawyer, politician, and nationalist leader who led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) until his assassination in 1975.
Herbert Ballerina — Luigi Luciano, better known by his stage name Herbert Ballerina, is an Italian radio host, comedian and actor.
Herbert Hoover — Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Herbert
Unlikely. With around 40 UK babies named Herbert per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Herbert in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Herbert is rising: up 110 places since 2020, to #811 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #672 in 2016.
Herbert is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Herbert include: Herbert Ballerina, Zbigniew Herbert and Herbert Wertheim. Short summaries for each appear below.
Herbert does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Herberts in the wild.
40
UK babies named Herbert (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 110 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Herbert
Almost certainly the only Herbert in the class
Ad
UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Herbert
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo was a Zimbabwean lawyer, politician, and nationalist leader who led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) until his assassination in 1975.
Colonel The Honourable Aubrey Nigel Henry Molyneux Herbert, of Pixton Park in Somerset and of Teversal, in Nottinghamshire, was a British soldier, diplomat, traveller, and intelligence officer associated with Albanian independence.
Herbert Charles Hoover, better known as Herbert Hoover Jr., was a British-born American engineer, businessman, and politician who served as United States Under Secretary of State from 1954 to 1957.