boys' name ★ peaked 1974

Heath

Meaning English surname, from the noun heath Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #932 Trend ↑ Rising 15%

English surname, from the noun heath.

Rank 2025
#932
among boys · ↓80 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
253
named Heath · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,751
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1974
1,264 babies
All-time total
29,704
#684 all-time among boys
First recorded
1913
in Social Security records

Heath popularity over time

29,704 babies have been named Heath since 1913, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 45 45 5 – #2,004
1920s – 83 83 8 +84% #1,844
1930s – 40 40 4 -52% #3,003
1940s – 63 63 6 +57% #2,513
1950s – 52 52 5 -17% #2,594
1960s 6 2,101 2,107 211 +3952% #326
1970s 93 10,814 10,907 1,091 +418% #181
1980s 67 6,519 6,586 659 -40% #247
1990s 10 3,219 3,229 323 -51% #461
2000s 5 2,631 2,636 264 -18% #674
2010s – 2,483 2,483 248 -6% #761
2020s (to 2025) – 1,473 1,473 246 -1% #852

Where Heath is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 260 0.15 outside top 500
2027 266 0.16 outside top 500
2028 271 0.16 outside top 500
2029 276 0.16 outside top 500
2030 280 0.16 outside top 500

Where Heath is most popular

Boys named Heath per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.146 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Heath born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 49 0.513 +252%
Pennsylvania 83 0.313 +115%
Arkansas 17 0.269 +84%
Tennessee 46 0.255 +75%
Washington 37 0.226 +55%
Oregon 17 0.224 +54%
Virginia 39 0.206 +41%
North Carolina 44 0.172 +18%
Minnesota 21 0.171 +18%
Michigan 35 0.171 +17%
Kentucky 17 0.169 +16%
Ohio 39 0.147 ≈ national
Arizona 24 0.147 ≈ national
Georgia 37 0.146 ≈ national
Missouri 19 0.137 -6%
California 122 0.133 -8%
Texas 113 0.128 -12%
Wisconsin 15 0.127 -13%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -21%
Indiana 15 0.094 -36%
Colorado 12 0.093 -36%
Florida 41 0.087 -41%
New York 37 0.085 -41%
Oklahoma 7 0.079 -46%
Kansas 5 0.073 -50%
Illinois 18 0.070 -52%
Alabama 6 0.055 -62%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -67%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -70%
Maryland 5 0.042 -71%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Heath

Heath is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #932 in 2025 with 253 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1913, 29,704 American babies have been named Heath. Its peak came in 1974, when 1,264 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Heath stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Heath?

The median living Heath is about 43 years old; half are between 27 and 50. An estimated 28 thousand people named Heath are alive in the United States today.

median 43 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Heath year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 253 #932
2024 – – 285 #852
2023 – – 206 #1,056
2022 – – 280 #862
2021 – – 234 #960
2020 – – 215 #992
2019 – – 227 #946
2018 – – 224 #937
2017 – – 242 #890
2016 – – 251 #874
2015 – – 270 #834
2014 – – 231 #924
2013 – – 249 #858
2012 – – 244 #865
2011 – – 250 #853
2010 – – 295 #761
2009 – – 356 #681
2008 – – 324 #717
2007 – – 221 #903
2006 – – 267 #778
2005 – – 242 #797
2004 5 #17,070 288 #690
2003 – – 255 #721
2002 – – 275 #674
2001 – – 216 #783
2000 – – 187 #854
1995 5 #14,233 293 #600
1990 5 #13,761 457 #461
1985 8 #7,817 593 #332
1980 9 #6,979 906 #247
1975 6 #8,347 1,204 #188
1970 6 #7,382 756 #278
1965 – – 37 #1,260
1960 – – 11 #2,598
1955 – – 10 #2,657
1950 – – 5 #3,905
1945 – – 5 #3,510
1940 – – 7 #2,986
1935 – – 5 #3,885
1930 – – 8 #3,140
1925 – – 6 #3,930
1920 – – 19 #1,844
1915 – – 6 #3,588
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Heath

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Heath Ledger Heath Ledger Australian actor (1979–2008) Contemporary
  2. 2 Heath Slater Heath Slater American professional wrestler and actor (born 1983) Contemporary
  3. 3 Heath Heath Japanese musician (1968–2023) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Heath, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Heath?

The median living Heath is about 43 years old. Half of all living Heaths are between 27 and 50 years old.

How many people named Heath are alive today?

An estimated 28 thousand people named Heath are alive in the United States, based on 29,704 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Heath mean?

English surname, from the noun heath.

How popular is the name Heath in 2025?

Heath ranked #932 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 253 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Heath?

29,704 babies have been named Heath in the United States since 1913, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Heath most popular?

Heath peaked in 1974, when 1,264 newborns received the name.

Is Heath a boy or girl name?

Heath is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Heath rising or falling?

Heath has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Heath become more popular?

Heath is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 280 boys named Heath in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Heath?

Well-known people named Heath include Heath Ledger (actor), Heath Slater (wrestler), Heath (musician).

Names like Heath

Names that sound and feel close to Heath: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Heath with similar names → More names starting with H →