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Hershal

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Hershal

Pronounced HER-shuhl /ˈhɜrʃəl/High

Meaning: Hershal is a respelling of Herschel or Hershel, an Ashkenazi Jewish name from the Yiddish hirsh, 'deer' (related to German Hirsch), with the affectionate diminutive ending -el, so 'little deer'. The deer carries old associations with the tribe of Naphtali, and the name is a warm traditional pet form long used in Jewish families.Low

In 30 seconds: Hershal is a respelling of Herschel, from the Yiddish 'hirsh', 'deer', an Ashkenazi Jewish name used for American boys in the early twentieth century (said HER-shuhl).

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Origin MediumYiddish, German

MeaningHershal is a respelling of Herschel or Hershel, an Ashkenazi Jewish name from the Yiddish hirsh, 'deer' (related to German Hirsch), with the affectionate diminutive ending -el, so 'little deer'. The deer carries old associations with the tribe of Naphtali, and the name is a warm traditional pet form long used in Jewish families.

U.S. rank (2004)#10447 ↘ Falling

2004 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1918

Total births (all-time)≈ 647

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Hershal is a phonetic spelling of Herschel or Hershel, a beloved Ashkenazi Jewish name built on the Yiddish hirsh, 'deer', plus a fond -el ending. It came to America with Jewish families from Central and Eastern Europe, often standing in the vernacular for the Hebrew Naphtali, whose blessing likens him to a deer, and Hershal is one of its homely respellings.

In United States records Hershal was always the minor spelling, drawing only a couple dozen boys a year even at its high around 1918 while Herschel and Hershel were better known. A boy named Hershal then belongs to a great-grandfather's generation now, his name a warm Yiddish 'little deer' in a plain American dress.

Did you know? Hershal, through Herschel, means 'little deer' in Yiddish, from the same hirsh root as the German word Hirsch for a stag.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Hershal — Respelling of Herschel/Hershel; Yiddish hirsh 'deer' + diminutive -el; assoc. Naphtali

Variations

HerschelHershelHershell

Nicknames

HershHesh

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If you like Hershal…

Herschel— the standard form this name respells

Hershel— a close sister-spelling of the same name

Nathan— a like traditional Jewish boy's name of the era

Abram— another heritage Jewish name of the immigrant cohort

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Hershal mean?

It is a respelling of Herschel, from the Yiddish hirsh meaning 'deer', with a diminutive ending, so 'little deer'.

How do you pronounce Hershal?

It's said HER-shuhl /ˈhɜrʃəl/, two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Hershal a boy or girl name?

Hershal is used as a boy's name.

Is Hershal a popular name?

No, it was always rare, a variant of Herschel that saw only faint use in the early twentieth century, around the nineteen-teens.