Heather

Did you know?

A few things about Heather you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Heather

Heather Graham

American actress

Choose Heather and your child shares a first name with Heather Graham, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Heather, like who?” Heather Graham's Wikipedia article is available in 59 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Heather Graham on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Dimitri Sarantis, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 9,083 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Heather, 177 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Heather would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryHeather first shows up in US birth records in 1914, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 111 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1975, when it ranked #3. Today it's #1,261, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowHeather was 13× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 677 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 9,083.
• 🚀TrendHeather has climbed 181 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,261. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedHeather is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #514, followed by Oklahoma (#619) and Utah (#704). It's in the top 1,000 in 8 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Heather means “heather plant”. Our records link it to Old English and Scottish roots.

About the name Heather

Heather is a girl name of Old English and Scottish origin meaning “heather plant”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with H and ending in “-her”. US birth records list Heather for girls from 1914 to 2025, in 102 of those 112 years. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked #3 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,261, with 177 babies.

Origin:Old English namesScottish names