Boy Names That Start With H
H names have a warm, breathy start that makes them sound friendly and approachable. The letter is anchored by Henry, one of the most enduring boy names in English, and by fast-rising surname picks like Hudson, Hayes and Hendrix. It also opens the door to heroic names like Hector and Hercules, and to Scottish charmers like Hamish.
We’ve collected 100+ boy names that start with H and sorted them into popular, royal and classic, surname-style, heroic and mythological, biblical, unique and international names. Continue with all boy names, boy names that start with J, or the sibling list of girl names that start with H.
Popular H names for boys
The most-used H names in recent US birth data (SSA).
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Henry | Ruler of the home | German |
| Hudson | Son of Hudde (a pet form of Hugh) | English |
| Hunter | One who hunts | English |
| Hayden | Hay valley or heathen | English |
| Harrison | Son of Harry | English |
| Hayes | Hedged area | English / Irish |
| Hendrix | Son of Hendrik, “ruler of the home” | Dutch |
| Hugo | Mind, intellect | German |
| Harvey | Battle-worthy | Breton / French |
| Holden | Deep valley | English |
| Hank | Short for Henry | English |
| Harlan | Rocky land | English |
| Hector | Holding fast; Trojan hero | Greek |
| Hezekiah | God strengthens | Hebrew |
| Houston | Hugh’s town | Scottish |
| Hamza | Strong, steadfast | Arabic |
Royal and classic H names
Dignified names with centuries of kings, poets and statesmen behind them. More at royal boy names and classic boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Harold | Army ruler | Old English |
| Howard | High guardian (uncertain) | English |
| Herbert | Bright army | German |
| Hugh | Mind, heart | German |
| Harry | Home ruler (from Henry) | English |
| Horace | Timekeeper (Roman family name) | Latin |
| Humphrey | Peaceful warrior | German |
| Herman | Army man | German |
| Hubert | Bright mind | German |
| Homer | Hostage, pledge; the Greek poet | Greek |
| Hollis | Near the holly trees | English |
| Horatio | Timekeeper | Latin / Italian |
| Hilary | Cheerful (historically a male name) | Latin |
| Hal | Short for Henry or Harold | English |
| Herschel | Deer | Yiddish |
Surname-style H names
Modern, preppy names that started life as family names. See preppy boy names and last names that are first names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Hollister | Holly grove | English |
| Hampton | Home settlement | English |
| Harper | Harp player | English |
| Hardy | Brave, hardy | English / German |
| Hartley | Deer meadow | English |
| Hastings | Son of the stern one | English |
| Hawkins | Little hawk | English |
| Hollander | From Holland | Dutch |
| Huxley | Hugh’s meadow | English |
| Holt | Wood, grove | English |
| Hughes | Son of Hugh | Welsh / English |
| Hutton | Settlement on a ridge | English |
| Haskell | God’s cauldron | Old Norse / English |
| Hendricks | Son of Hendrick | Dutch / English |
Heroic and mythological H names
Names from Greek, Norse and Celtic legends. More in mythology boy names and Greek god names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Hercules | Glory of Hera | Greek / Latin |
| Hermes | Messenger of the Greek gods | Greek |
| Helios | Sun; the Greek sun god | Greek |
| Hyperion | The high one; Titan of light | Greek |
| Heimdall | Guardian of the Norse gods | Old Norse |
| Hades | Unseen; Greek god of the underworld | Greek |
| Hakon | High son | Old Norse |
| Halvard | Rock guardian | Old Norse |
| Harald | Army ruler | Old Norse |
| Hagen | Enclosure; a hero of the Nibelungenlied | German |
| Hermod | Warrior spirit; son of Odin | Old Norse |
| Hylas | Companion of Heracles on the Argo | Greek |
Biblical H names for boys
Scripture-based names; see biblical boy names for more.
| Name | Meaning | Bible reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea | Salvation | Book of Hosea |
| Habakkuk | Embrace | Book of Habakkuk |
| Haggai | Festive | Book of Haggai |
| Hiram | Exalted brother | 1 Kings 5 |
| Heber | Companion | Genesis 10 |
| Hananiah | God has been gracious | Daniel 1 |
| Hillel | Praised | Judges 12 |
| Hur | Freedom, whiteness | Exodus 17 |
| Hezron | Enclosed | Genesis 46 |
Unique H names for boys
Uncommon but wearable picks. Try unique boy names or rare boy names too.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Hawthorne | Hawthorn hedge | English |
| Hale | Hero, or nook | English |
| Heath | Moorland | English |
| Haven | Safe place | English |
| Harbor | Place of shelter | English |
| Huck | Short for Huckleberry | American English |
| Heron | The heron bird | English |
| Hawk | The bird of prey | English |
| Halcyon | Kingfisher; calm, peaceful | Greek |
| Hamlin | Little home lover | German |
| Hadley | Heather meadow | English |
| Hux | Short for Huxley | English |
| Harlem | From the Dutch city of Haarlem | Dutch / American |
| Holloway | Sunken road | English |
| Harlow | Rock hill or army hill | English |
| Huntley | Hunter’s meadow | English |
| Harding | Son of the brave one | English |
H names from around the world
International boy names with pronunciation.
| Name | Pronunciation | Meaning & origin |
|---|---|---|
| Hamish | HAY-mish | Scottish form of James, “supplanter” |
| Hiro | HEE-roh | Generous, abundant (by kanji); Japanese |
| Haruto | hah-ROO-toh | Sun, flying (by kanji); Japanese |
| Hassan | hah-SAHN | Handsome, good; Arabic |
| Hamid | hah-MEED | Praiseworthy; Arabic |
| Hadi | HAH-dee | Guide; Arabic |
| Hari | HAH-ree | A name of Vishnu; Sanskrit |
| Hemi | HEH-mee | Maori form of James |
| Hoang | HWANG | Phoenix, imperial; Vietnamese |
| Henrik | HEN-rik | Scandinavian form of Henry |
| Heinrich | HINE-rikh | German form of Henry |
| Hugues | OOG | French form of Hugh |
| Hernán | er-NAHN | Bold voyager; Spanish form of Ferdinand |
| Haruki | hah-ROO-kee | Spring, radiance (by kanji); Japanese |
| Hyun-woo | HYUN-oo | Wise, divine help (by hanja); Korean |
| Hakim | hah-KEEM | Wise; Arabic |
| Horacio | oh-RAH-see-oh | Timekeeper; Spanish |
| Hannu | HAHN-noo | Finnish form of John |
| Hideo | hee-DEH-oh | Excellent man (by kanji); Japanese |
Tips for picking an H name for your son
- A name ending in a vowel before an H surname (or vice versa) keeps the breathy H clear: Hugo Hale is fun but tongue-twisty.
- Henry-family names give options: Henry, Harry, Hank, Hal, Hendrix, Henrik and Enrique share one root.
- Surname names like Hudson and Hayes are trending; pair them with a classic middle name (Hudson James) for balance.
- Mythological names like Hercules or Hades carry big stories — check that you’re happy with the associations.
- In some languages H is silent (Spanish, French). A name like Hugues or Horacio will be pronounced differently by relatives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular boy name that starts with H?
Henry is by far the most popular H name for boys in the US, followed by Hudson, Hunter and Harrison.
What are cool boy names that start with H?
Hendrix, Huxley, Hawk, Huck and Hayes sound modern and cool.
What H names mean strong?
Hamza (“strong”), Hezekiah (“God strengthens”), Hector (“holding fast”) and Harold (“army ruler”) all carry strength.
What Scottish boy names start with H?
Hamish, Houston and Hunter are Scottish in origin; Hamish is the Gaelic form of James.
What does Henry mean?
Henry comes from the Germanic Heimirich, meaning “ruler of the home,” and was borne by eight English kings.