Boy · Breton
Hervé
Say it: air-VAY
Meaning
From Old Breton Haerviu, probably haer 'battle' and viu 'worthy'; this reading is not certain.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Strong in Brittany and very popular across France in the 1950s–60s.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 553 babies given this name since 1911
- At its height in 1919, about 1 in 42,600 boys
- 6 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| Breton | Houarvian |
|---|
Famous bearers
- Saint Hervé, Breton hermit
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.