Meaning and history
Hershel is a Yiddish masculine diminutive of Hirsh, from the Yiddish word hirsh, “deer” or “stag.” In non-Jewish American use it was also influenced by the German surname Herschel, familiar through astronomer William Herschel. The name has longstanding Ashkenazi Jewish use and may be written הירשל. Notable bearers include American politician Hershel W. Gober and United States Marine Hershel “Woody” Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient. The variant Herschel is more common in English-language historical records.
20062006: 35 births, rank #3,083
2007: 42 births, rank #2,811
2008: 44 births, rank #2,753
2009: 30 births, rank #3,551
2010: 30 births, rank #3,531
20112011: 47 births, rank #2,590
2012: 35 births, rank #3,179
2013: 39 births, rank #2,895
2014: 41 births, rank #2,847
2015: 49 births, rank #2,528
20162016: 40 births, rank #2,935
2017: 38 births, rank #3,071
2018: 36 births, rank #3,171
2019: 31 births, rank #3,571
2020: 38 births, rank #3,025
20212021: 32 births, rank #3,497
2022: 47 births, rank #2,753
2023: 52 births, rank #2,541
2024: 49 births, rank #2,674
20252025: 48 births, rank #2,676
Hershel rose from #956 to #868 for boys between 1966 and 1968. Its highest annual birth count came in 1924, with 226 births.