Boy names that start with H
H is the letter of the Germanic ruler-names: haim and ric, home and power, sit inside Henry, Harold, Henrique and half a dozen others. Henry is the highest-placed H name in the United States and Hudson is not far behind. Every entry below links to a full page with meaning, origin, and pairings.
Most popular H names right now
Only two H names sit inside the current U.S. Social Security top 100. These are their real positions.
- #5HenryHEN-reeGermanic
Ruler of the home, from haim and ric. Eight kings of England carried it, and it has climbed back into the American top five.
- #17HudsonHUD-sunEnglish
Son of Hudde, a medieval pet form of Hugh. The river came afterwards, named for the navigator Henry Hudson.
Classic H names
- HaroldHA-ruldOld English
Army ruler; commander of the host. Harold Godwinson was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England, killed at Hastings in 1066.
- HowardHOW-erdEnglish
Disputed between high guardian, brave of heart, and keeper of hogs. A ducal surname that turned into a first name.
- HarveyHAR-veeBreton
Battle worthy. Bretons carried it into England in the Norman wake, and it now reads as gentle vintage rather than martial.
- HectorHEK-torGreek
Holding fast; the one who defends. Troy's champion in the Iliad, and the most sympathetic man in the poem.
- HomerHOH-merGreek
Traditionally glossed as hostage, though the derivation is not secure. The poet stands at the head of the whole European tradition.
- HugoHYOO-gohGermanic
Heart, mind, spirit. The Latinised form of Hugh, and the sturdier looking of the pair.
- HankHANKEnglish
A short form of Henry that went its own way in America. Hank Williams and Hank Aaron gave it a working swing.
- HansHAHNSGerman
God is gracious. The German and Dutch clip of Johannes, worn smooth by several centuries of daily use.
- HamishHAY-mishScottish
The Scottish James, taken from the vocative of Gaelic Seumas. Traditionally glossed as supplanter.
H surname and landscape names
- HunterHUN-terEnglish
One who hunts, straight from the occupational surname. A defining 1990s choice, now outside the current U.S. top 100.
- HaydenHAY-dinEnglish
From the hay valley. A patch of ground became a family, and the family became a boy.
- HayesHAYZEnglish
From the hedged enclosure: land fenced off from the wild. One syllable with a soft landing.
- HeathHEETHEnglish
Open uncultivated ground, thick with heather and gorse. Heath Ledger is the bearer most people picture.
- HoldenHOHL-dinEnglish
From the hollow valley, a deep sheltered fold in the ground. Salinger's Holden Caulfield keeps it literary.
- HarlanHAR-lunEnglish
Traditionally glossed as hare land. The writer Harlan Ellison is its best-known bearer.
- HarrisonHA-rih-sunEnglish
Son of Harry, and so of Henry. Two American presidents and one Beatle answered to it as a surname.
- HarrisHA-rissEnglish
The same arithmetic as Harrison with a syllable shaved off. Also a Hebridean island and a tweed.
H names from around the world
- HamzaHAM-zahArabic
Lion; strong and steadfast. Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle, is the bearer the name recalls.
- Hakimhah-KEEMArabic
Wise, judicious; sound in judgement. Al-Hakim is one of the ninety-nine names of God in Islam.
- HarutoHAH-roo-tohJapanese
Character-dependent, but most often written 陽翔, sun and soar. One of the most-given boys' names in Japan this century.
- HinataHEE-nah-tahJapanese
A sunny place; turned toward the sun, written 日向. Given to boys and girls alike in Japan.
- HaneulHAH-nuhlKorean
Sky. A pure Korean word, written 하늘 in hangul and in no other script, with no Chinese characters behind it.
- HaoHOWChinese
Vast: 浩 of water without end, 昊 of the open sky. The character settles which vastness is meant.
- HuyHWEEVietnamese
Radiance, brilliance, from the character 輝. Short, bright, and very widely used in Vietnam.
- Hasanihah-SAH-neeSwahili
Good, fine, handsome. The Swahili form of Arabic Hasan, at home along the East African coast.
- Hovhanneshov-hah-NESSArmenian
God is gracious; the Armenian John. Hovhannes Tumanyan is Armenia's national poet.
- HunorHOO-norHungarian
The hunter who followed the white stag into the marshes, and the Magyars' legendary ancestor. Hungarian twins are still registered Hunor and Magor.
- Henriqueen-REE-kuhPortuguese
Ruler of the home; head of the household. Prince Henry the Navigator was, at home, Infante Dom Henrique.
Unique H names
- HjalmarYAL-marNorse
Helmeted warrior. The initial J is a Y, which is half the appeal and all of the difficulty.
- HaraldHAH-raldNorse
Army ruler, the Norse cousin of Harold. Harald Fairhair and Harald Hardrada between them made the name Norway's.
- HaykHIKEArmenian
The archer-patriarch of the Armenian origin legend, and the source of Hayastan, the Armenians' own name for their country.
- HåkonHOH-konNorwegian
High son; highborn kinsman. Seven kings of Norway have borne it, and the current crown prince is next in line to do so.
- HalvorHAL-vorNorwegian
Rock-guard: a defender as steady as stone. Norway kept it when the rest of Scandinavia let it go.
- HōkūHOH-kooHawaiian
Star. Two long syllables, and nothing further to explain.
- HuwHYOOWelsh
Heart, mind, spirit — the Welsh spelling of Hugh, and the one that looks like nothing else on a class list.
- HaileHIGH-layGeʽez
Power of. It opens a compound rather than standing alone: Haile Selassie is power of the Trinity.
- HagosHAH-gohsTigrinya
Joy, gladness. An everyday name in Eritrea and Tigray, and genuinely rare anywhere else.
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You can also come at the letter sideways, by origin or by meaning.