Heath

Before there was Heath Ledger in America, there was a character named Heath Barkley on a popular television series called “The Big Valley” (1965-1969). It was this ruggedly handsome character (portrayed by a young Lee Majors) who served to popularize the name Heath in the United States. The name first appeared on the American masculine naming charts in 1966, the year following the first airing of the show. Not only that, but Heath debuted remarkably high on the charts right off the bat (at position #359) which goes to show you the popularity of the show and the Heath Barkley character among viewers. The name Heath would reach his peak popularity in 1974 at #181 on the charts (so this was a Top 200 name at one point in time). Heath would go on to fall in usage as the years progressed. He was moderately popular in the 1980s but less so in the 90s. Heath Ledger gave his name a much needed jump-start up the charts between 2001 and 2002 following his success in “The Patriot” and again between 2008 and 2009 coinciding with his untimely death at the age of 28. Heath Ledger was a charming Aussie and an extremely talented actor, but he was also a restless soul with a dark side. Just as River Phoenix impacted the usage of his name in the same way, Heath Ledger also touched an American nerve. And many parents responded by bestowing his simple, one-syllable name on their baby boys. Heath is a strong, rugged name with unpretentious appeal and great passion. Today the name is used sparingly and so remains an original choice. It could also be considered a short form for the name Heathcliff (as in Emily Brontë’s hero from “Wuthering Heights”).