The name Humphrey is a boy's name of German origin meaning "peaceful warrior". Humphrey and is often added to lists like Old Man Names and discussed in our forums with posts like "Rotating Sibling Sets".
From the experts:
Humphrey is an old name that might have faded completely were it not for that Bogie flair. A royal name in Britain, where it's used somewhat more frequently, Humphrey might just have some life beyond Bogart here, especially with the recent interest in the names of Golden Age Hollywood stars. His first name was the maiden name of his mother, Maud Humphrey, a well-known illustrator who used baby H. as a model.
Humphrey was brought to England by the Normans and was made famous by Duke Humphrey, the fifteenth century Duke of Gloucester and youngest son of Henry IV, a noted patron of literature, who appears in Shakespeare's Henry IV. In other literature, Humphrey Wasp is a character in Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, and the eponymous hero of Tobias Smollett's early novel Humphrey Clinker. In James Joyce's Finnegans Wake Humphrey Climpden Earwicker represents the everyman.
Bottom line: An interesting name with a noirish edge.
Lists containing Humphrey:
- Unusual Antique Baby Names
- Geek Chic Names for Boys
- Unique Baby Names: Unusual and Rare
- Royal Names for Boys
- Old Man Names
- Names That Mean Peace
- New York Baby Names
- Shakespeare Baby Names
- Cool Classic Boy Names — 100+ below the Top 1000
- Posh Baby Names
- Great Names for Big Dogs
- Best One-of-a-Kind Names for Boys
- German Shepherd Puppy Names
- June Baby Names
- Delicious Thanksgiving Names
- Bold Bohemian Names for Boys
- Cool Boys’ Names—Rare, Unique and Unusual
- Fancy Boy Names
- Names That Mean Warrior
Humphrey in Blog Posts
Humphrey in the Forums
Comments
paulapuddephatt Says:
lirio Says:
I agree, never met a Humphrey! Also it says it's a 'royal name' in Britain - I'm no history expert but I'm pretty sure we've never had a king called Humphrey...
AldabellaxWulfe Says:
Humphrey has finally made it into the top 1000, so it's definitely usable. But that's over here in the UK - not so sure how people view it in other countries.
GeorgiaGuineaPig Says:
Yeah and it's sad because Finlay is so popular and Humphrey sounds so similar.
domandlauren Says:
We love Humphrey - that's what we named our son, his nickname is Humf (which is also the name of a kids tv show https://youtu.be/y_EQTLwEAfE)
Wittyusername103 Says:
I like this but what nickname would you use.
ladimon Says:
This is one of my favourite names, but you just can't do this to a child these days.
headintheclouds Says:
I like this name in theory, but the spelling of Humph- at the beginning, and the sound of it, makes me think of someone scoffing, which makes me not want to use it in real life.
Essa Says:
I always love when Britain is mentioned in the description of the name, mainly because it always makes out that the name is super popular here when really I've never heard of a Humphrey in my life!
jasminegarden Says:
this name is heavenly, sounds so cute but very mature at the same time, I adore it
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It's cute.