Baby Name of the Day: Humphrey

The baby name Humphrey is part-leading man, party-teddy bear.

Thanks to Paul for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME HUMPHREY MEAN?

Back in the 800s, in a little German town called Prüm, there lived a monk called Hunfrid. Hunfrid eventually became a bishop, and is remembered as a saint.

In his lifetime, Hunfrid’s Latin name would’ve been Hunfridus. But today, look him up in official church records, and he’s St. Humphrey.

Hun comes from a Germanic element meaning something along the lines of bear, bear cub, or possibly strength. You’ll recognize -frid from Frederick; the element means peace. The Normans brought him to England, but found him waiting there, too, as the Old English Hunfrith.

The n-to-m switch wasn’t unusual. Humbert took a similar path. And many a name appears with both ph and f spellings.

In various forms, Humphrey had a good run in Medieval England. King Henry IV of England gave the name to his youngest son, the 1st Duke of Gloucester. He wasn’t the first well-born Humphrey; he was named after his maternal grandfather. The 2nd Earl of Buckingham answered to the name, too. It’s seldom heard as a royal name in the 21st century, but still carries a hint of that privilege.

FAMOUS PEOPLE

The name might bring to mind several literary figures:

• That 15th century noble, the Duke of Gloucester, appears in Shakespeare’s Henry IV. 
• Ben Johnson used the name for a character in his 1614 play Bartholomew Fair. 
• James Joyce gave the name to a character in Finnegans Wake.

The name continued to be used in real life, too. 16th century explorer and member of Parliament Sir Humphrey Gilbert established Newfoundland as a British colony. During the 17th century, publisher Humphrey Moseley printed some of the most significant works of poetry. 

The name dots the history books, but there’s one Humphrey that dominates them all.

HUMPHREY BOGART

Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart was born on Christmas Day, 1899.

He was named for his mother, Maud Humphrey, a suffragist and commercial illustrator. 

Bogart rebelled against his privileged Upper West Side upbringing, failing out of prestigious schools and eventually serving in the Navy during the first World War. He later discovered acting.

First came Broadway, then Hollywood. His career flourished from the 1940s into the 50s, when he won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in The African Queen opposite Katharine Hepburn. He’s best remember for playing Rick in the cinematic classic Casablanca, as well as Sam Spade in 1941’s The Maltese Falcon. 

From tough guy to romantic lead, Bogart casts a long shadow. He’s still a household name many years after his last role.

One more claim to fame: his wife, actress Lauren Bacall, is said to have first coined the term Rat Pack to refer to Bogey and his friends, including Frank Sinatra. 

HUMPHREY AS A LAST NAME

Along the way, Humphrey became a common surname. 

In US politics, Hubert Humphrey served as vice president under Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s. (His full name: Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. – and yes, he named his son Hubert Horatio Humphrey III. The third Hubert goes by Skip; his son, Hubert IV, answers to Buck; Buck was his grandmother’s maiden name.) 

But that’s almost ancient history. If anything helped redefine this name, it was The CW’s Gossip Girl, which ran from 2007 to 2012. Based on a series of novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, it’s the story of impossibly wealthy and privileged New York City teenagers. 

Among them? Dan Humphrey, a scholarship student. His dad, Rufus and younger sister Jenny are part of the story, too. But it’s Dan than often answers to his surname, and that shifts the name ever so slightly. It was Penn Badgley’s first big role. 

HUMPHREY THE BEAR

Animals aplenty have answered to Humphrey, including:

• A cat in residence at 10 Downing Street, jokingly referred to as the Chief Mouser. He was named after Yes, Minister character Sir Humphrey Appleby.
• A pair of bears. The first is a staple on Australian kids’ television, the star of Here’s Humphrey. The second is a minor Disney character who starred in shorts in the 1950s and 60s.
• In animated wolf movie Alpha and Omega, Humphrey is the underdog. He’s thrown together with alpha wolf Kate, and through a series of unlikely events, they fall in love.
• A 1970 novelty song titled “Humphrey the Camel” was recorded by Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan. Thanks to the first four letters – hump – it’s an obvious choice for a dromedary. 

Humphrey Bear from Australia might be the highest profile bearer of the name. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME HUMPHREY?

During the late 19th century, the baby name Humphrey ranked in the US Top 1000. But only on the fringes. The name’s last appearance was in 1894.

It’s teetered on the edge of extinction since then. As of 2024, just eight boys received the name.

LITTLE GENTLEMAN NAME

We’re living in the age of Oliver and Sebastian. Many parents like polished, longer, gentlemanly names for our boys. They’re a little softer than an earlier generation of Bob and John, longer even than turn-of-the-21st-century favorites like Jake and Matt. 

The baby name Humphrey remains distinctive, but might be worth a second look for parents seeking something traditional and storied, easily spelled and understood, but far less common than Julian, Frederick, or Wesley.

What do you think of the baby name Humphrey?

First published March 24, 2011, this post was revised on September 9, 2025.