Girl · #1,295 in 2026

Heather

Name: Popularity of the name Heather in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Heather, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#1,295

Peak Rank

#3 (1975)

Total Babies

526K

5-Yr Trend

-6%

1914

First Year

2026

Last Year

1975

Peak Year

Peak Rank

526K

Total Count

103

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Heather

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

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. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 24,302 Heathers were born — ranking #3 that year. As of 2026, Heather ranks #1,295 for baby girls with 176 births, gradually falling (-6%). In total, more than 526K Heathers have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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

What does the name Heather mean?

How popular is Heather in 2026?

In 2026, Heather ranks #1,295 among girls' names in the U.S., with 176 babies given the name that year.

When was Heather most popular?

Heather reached its peak popularity in 1975, ranking #3 that year with 24,302 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Heather most popular?

Heather has historically been most popular in Alaska, Colorado, Florida. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Heather.

Is Heather a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Heather is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Heather?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Heather include Elizabeth, Margaret, Sarah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.