Fun Facts About the Name Hersh
- 883 babies named Hersh: U.S. records list 883 babies given the name Hersh from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Hersh Mean?
Hersh is a Yiddish given name meaning "deer" or "stag." It is a Yiddish pronunciation of the German name Hirsch, which comes from Middle High German hirz and Old High German hiruz, the everyday word for a deer. The literal sense of the word is simply the animal; the name carries no separate abstract meaning.
Among Yiddish-speaking Jews, Hersh was the vernacular counterpart of the Hebrew name Tzvi, which means "gazelle" or "deer." The two were treated as equivalents: a boy could be called Tzvi in Hebrew and Hersh in Yiddish, and the pair was often joined in the double name Tzvi Hirsch. This is a customary pairing rather than a shared etymology - Hebrew tzvi and German hirz are unrelated words that happen to name similar animals.
Hersh Name History & Origins
The German word Hirsch was in use as a personal name in German-speaking lands in the medieval and early modern periods. It appears most often in Jewish communities, where it served as the everyday, spoken name alongside a Hebrew name used for religious purposes. The pattern of matching a Hebrew name with a German or Yiddish name of similar meaning was widespread in Ashkenazi life, and Tzvi Hirsch is the best-known example.
As Yiddish developed in the German-speaking Rhineland and then spread eastward into Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine, the German Hirsch took the Yiddish form Hersh. The affectionate diminutive Hershel (Yiddish Hershl) also came into use, and English speakers sometimes treat Hershel as a separate name rather than a form of Hersh. The Hebrew association with Tzvi remained strong, and in Jewish tradition the Hebrew name Tzvi is connected to the blessing of Naphtali in Genesis 49:21, where Naphtali is described as a swift deer - an association that belongs to Tzvi rather than to the German word behind Hersh.
When Ashkenazi families in the Austrian and Russian empires were required to adopt fixed hereditary surnames, beginning in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, many took Hirsch or Hersh as a family name, which is why the form is familiar today as a surname as well as a given name. The English spelling Hersh usually reflects the Yiddish pronunciation, while Hirsch reflects the German one.
How Popular is the Name Hersh?
Hersh has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2024. Its best rank was #2,781 in 2002.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,853 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 2024 | #2,882 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 2023 | #3,828 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2022 | #3,367 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2021 | #3,765 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2020 | #3,362 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #3,290 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2018 | #4,810 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #4,999 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #4,238 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #4,782 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #3,059 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2013 | #4,229 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #4,765 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #3,635 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #4,416 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #4,999 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #3,681 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 2007 | #3,210 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 2006 | #4,041 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #4,107 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #3,677 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #4,899 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #2,781 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2001 | #6,180 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #5,700 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #4,430 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #3,429 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #5,413 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #6,729 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #5,282 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #4,174 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #3,424 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1992 | #8,933 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #4,088 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #5,333 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #3,418 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #4,374 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #6,073 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,244 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #5,800 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #5,529 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #3,478 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,131 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Hersh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Hersh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Hersh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.