Hector

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Hector

Hector Berlioz

French composer and conductor (1803–1869)

Choose Hector and your child shares a first name with Hector Berlioz, a French composer and conductor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Hector, like who?” Hector Berlioz's Wikipedia article is available in 135 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Hector Berlioz on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Pierre Petit, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,193 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Hector, 779 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Hector would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryHector has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Hectors, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1992, when it reached #156.
• 📉Then vs nowHector was 2.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 992 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 2,193.
• 🍂TrendHector has slipped 44 places over the last five years and now sits at #409. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedHector is most popular in Texas, where it ranks #190, followed by Arizona (#209) and California (#237). It's in the top 1,000 in 34 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Hector means “holding fast”. Our records link it to Greek and Hispanic roots.

About the name Hector

Hector is a boy name of Greek and Hispanic origin meaning “holding fast”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with H and ending in “-tor”. US birth records list Hector for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 145 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked #156 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #409, with 779 babies.

Origin:Greek namesHispanic names