UK boy's name
Heru
Egyptian masculine name meaning "one who is above" or "the distant one".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Heru is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Heru popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3959, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 4 births.
This profile covers 4 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2018 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Heru is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 4 living people in the UK are called Heru. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Heru ranked #3959 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 4 boys were registered as Heru.
- • About 4 living people in the UK are estimated to have Heru as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3959
2018
Births in 2018
4
Latest year
Peak year
2018
4 births
Estimated living
4
2026
Meaning
What does Heru mean?
The name Heru has its origins in the ancient Egyptian language. It was the name of one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon, the falcon-headed god of kingship and the sky. The name is derived from the Egyptian word "hr," which means "the one who is above" or "the one who is distant."
The name Heru was first recorded in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts dating back to around 3100 BCE. It was the name given to the falcon-headed god who was later merged with the sun god Ra to form the composite deity Ra-Herakhty. Heru was depicted as a falcon or a man with a falcon's head, representing the celestial and divine aspects of kingship.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Heru was the son of Osiris and Isis, and he was engaged in a eternal struggle against his uncle Seth, who had killed Osiris and usurped the throne. The myth of Heru's triumph over Seth symbolized the victory of order over chaos and the legitimate succession of kingship.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Heru can be found in the Pyramid Texts, which were inscribed on the walls of the pyramids of ancient Egyptian kings during the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE). These texts contain spells and incantations that were intended to aid the deceased pharaoh in their journey to the afterlife.
Throughout Egyptian history, several pharaohs bore the name Heru, including Heru-em-akhet (c. 2000 BCE), Heru-khuf (c. 2600 BCE), and Heru-hor (c. 1080 BCE). Additionally, the name was popular among commoners and was often combined with other elements to form compound names, such as Heru-neter (meaning "Heru is a god") and Heru-sa-Aset (meaning "Heru, son of Isis").
Other notable historical figures with the name Heru include Heru-pa-khred (c. 2200 BCE), a powerful nomarch (provincial governor) during the Old Kingdom, and Heru-em-heb (c. 1350 BCE), a prominent military leader and pharaoh during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Decades
Heru by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Heru was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #3959 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Heru
- Harry 141,693
- Henry 65,177
- Harrison 45,958
- Harvey 35,648
- Harley 22,095
- Hugo 18,779
- Hayden 12,622
- Hunter 10,350
- Hudson 9,104
- Hamza 8,564
- Hassan 5,982
- Hasan 3,599
FAQ
Heru: questions and answers
How popular is the name Heru in the UK right now?
In 2018, Heru was ranked #3959 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Heru most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 4 babies registered as Heru in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Heru?
Egyptian masculine name meaning "one who is above" or "the distant one".
How many people are called Heru in the UK?
A total of 4 babies have been registered as Heru across the 1 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.