Humphrey, originating from Old German elements 'hun' meaning 'home' and 'frithu' meaning 'peace', was initially introduced to England by the Normans after the 1066 conquest. It became particularly popular among the royal family, with Humphrey Plantagenet (1351-1402), son of King Edward III, being one of its notable bearers. The name was often associated with the title of Duke of Gloucester, held by several Humphreys throughout history.
The name Humphrey experienced a significant rise and fall in popularity over the past century and a half, with peaks occurring around World War I (with a high of 21 births in 1918) and again during the late 1940s to early 1950s (reaching a peak of 18 births in 1954). However, since the 1970s, Humphrey has become increasingly rare, with fewer than 10 births annually. The most recent data shows a slight resurgence, with 9 births recorded in 2020 and 7 births in 2021. Overall, there have been 1077 births with the name Humphrey since 1880.