Hero (given name)

Hero is a given name of Ancient Greek origin meaning "hero." It is sometimes transliterated in English as Hērō (Ancient Greek:‘Ηρω). The Ancient Greeks pronounced it hay-rō, while English speakers pronounce it HEER-o. The feminine name is sometimes given in reference to the Ancient Greek myth of Hero and Leander or to the character in William Shakespeare's 1599 play Much Ado About Nothing.^[1] A modernized Greek version of the name is Iro (Ηρω).^[2]

The masculine name is a Latinized Greek form of the Greek name Heron (Ηρων).

The name Hero has seen occasional use for both boys and girls in the English-speaking world. In 2010, the name was given to six newborn American girls and to 22 American boys. In 2011, the name was given to 12 newborn girls in the United States and to 15 newborn boys.^[3] It is also in occasional use in other English-speaking countries, including the United Kingdom.

Hiro, a Japanese name with multiple meanings that became more widely known following the appearance of Hiro Nakamura, a character on the 2006-2010 American television series Heroes, was given to 23 newborn American boys in 2010 and to 20 American boys in 2011.^[4] The Japanese male character's first name was intended as a play on the English word "hero".

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