Names That Start with H

H is a breathy letter, and names starting with it often sound gentle and open. In Spanish the h is silent, so Hector may be said with or without that first breath depending on your family's language. That is worth considering if relatives will say the name in more than one tongue.

Some H names carry long histories. Henry was the name of a string of English kings and has stayed in steady use for centuries. Hannah comes from the Hebrew Bible and reads the same forward and backward, a small detail many parents enjoy. Hector was the Trojan hero of the Iliad. Harrison began as a surname built on a medieval form of Henry.

Most of the other names are English surnames or place names. Harper and Hunter come from occupations, Hayden, Hadley and Harley come from places, and Hudson is a surname shared with a major New York river. Hailey and Haley are two spellings of the same name. Nature and virtue names complete the list: Hazel is a tree, while Hope and Harmony carry hopeful meanings. If your surname also starts with H, a pairing like Henry or Hazel gives you a gentle alliteration, which some parents love and others prefer to avoid.