2000
#1,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.35
Uncommon Last name
Herbert
Derived from the Old French personal name Herbert, which is comprised of the Germanic elements hari, meaning "army," and berht, meaning "bright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,935 Americans carry the last name Herbert. That puts it at #1,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herbert surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Herbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,270
Census rank
#1,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,361 bearers of the surname Herbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herbert
The surname Herbert originated in Germany and France, developing from the medieval given name Heribert or Heriberto. It is derived from the Germanic elements 'heri' meaning army and 'beraht' meaning bright or illustrious, signifying a 'bright warrior'. The name first emerged in the 8th century and was initially popular among the Frankish nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Herbert surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript survey conducted in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. It lists several landowners and tenants with variations of the name, such as Herbertus, Herebertus, and Hereberd, primarily concentrated in Normandy and surrounding regions.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in various charters and records across Europe. Notable individuals from this period include Herbert de Losinga (c. 1050–1119), the first Bishop of Norwich, and Herbert of Vermandois (c. 1057–1131), a crusader and Count of Vermandois.
The Herbert surname continued to gain prominence in the following centuries. Sir William Herbert (c. 1506–1570) was a prominent Welsh soldier and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. George Herbert (1593–1633), an English poet and orator, is renowned for his religious poetry and is considered a metaphysical poet.
Other notable Herberts include Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1583–1648), an English diplomat, philosopher, and historian, and Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1534–1601), a prominent courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I. The surname also has a strong association with the Herbert family of Pembrokeshire, Wales, who played a significant role in the region's history.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Herbert name was well-established among the British aristocracy and gentry. Examples include Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke (1656–1733), a prominent politician and Lord High Admiral, and Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke (1734–1794), a nobleman and art collector.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Herbert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Herbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.5% · 16,679
- Black or African American20.6% · 5,007
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 1,231
- Two or more races3.9% · 952
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 256
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 236
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herbert
Herbert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,417
+1,193 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 8.96
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#1,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,361
-2,056 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 8.15
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,285 | 25,224 | 9.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,334 | 26,417 | 8.96 | +1,193 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #1,422 | 24,361 | 8.15 | -2,056 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 88 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Herbert surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,334 | #1,422 | -6.6% |
| Count | 26,417 | 24,361 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 8.96 | 8.15 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herbert bearers went from 26,417 to 24,361 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,334 to #1,422.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Herbert
FAQ
Herbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herbert?
Name Census estimates that about 27,935 living Americans carry the surname Herbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,270 residents.
How common is Herbert?
Herbert ranks #1,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,361 people with the surname Herbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Herbert.
Has Herbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herbert went from 26,417 recorded bearers to 24,361. That is a decrease of 2,056 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,334 to #1,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Herbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Herbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (16,679 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.5%), Black (20.6%), Hispanic (5.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Herbert (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Herbert mean?
Derived from the Old French personal name Herbert, which is comprised of the Germanic elements hari, meaning "army," and berht, meaning "bright." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Herbert (8.15 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Herbert?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.