Heather
Heather is an English primarily feminine given name. The botanical name refers to a variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas. The brush is native to Scotland and England, but it is more commonly found in Scotland due to its rocky territories. The name is derived from Middle English hather.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Heather
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Heather is an English primarily feminine given name. The botanical name refers to a variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas. The brush is native to Scotland and England, but it is more commonly found in Scotland due to its rocky territories. The name is derived from Middle English hather.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Heather
Heather first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1914, with 8 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1975: 24,302 births, good for #3 nationwide. About 39% of every Heather on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Heather ranks #1,295 for baby girls with 176 births, gradually falling (-6%). All told, over 526K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Heather
Phonetically similar names — useful when Heather is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Hither
- Hathor
- Huether
- Weather
- Whether
- Header
- Wether
- Heifer
- Waether
- Hemmer
- Hepher
- Heder
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Heather
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About the name Heather
Heather is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 526K births in the dataset. Heather's peak popularity came in 1975 when it ranked #3. Use the chart and map above to compare Heather's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1975 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "H" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.