The name Herschel is of German origin and means "deer stalk." It is derived from the German word "Hirsch," which means deer. The name Herschel is often associated with astronomy, as Sir William Herschel, a German-born British astronomer, was the first to discover the planet Uranus in 1781. He also made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is considered one of the most important astronomers of all time.
The name Herschel has seen a varied trend of popularity over the years in the United States. From 1880 to 1914, the number of babies named Herschel fluctuated between 9 and 257 births per year, with a significant increase occurring around the early 1900s.
Interestingly, the name peaked during World War I, reaching its highest point in 1918 with 257 births. After this period, the popularity of Herschel began to decline steadily until it reached its lowest point in recent years, with only single-digit births annually from 2004 onwards.
In spite of this decrease in popularity, there has been a slight resurgence in recent times, with the number of babies named Herschel increasing from 9 births in 2011 to 38 births in both 2020 and 2021. The most recent data from 2022 shows that there were 23 births for boys named Herschel.
Overall, throughout history, a total of 10619 babies have been named Herschel in the United States.