Heath

There are two sources for the name Heath. First, Heath is a surname that has made the transition to being used as a given name. The surname comes from the Old English haedh, and designated someone who lived on a heath. (A heath, or heathland, is defined as "an area of open uncultivated land, typically on sandy soil and covered with heather, gorse, and coarse grasses.") Second, Heath is simply a short form of the name Heathcliff. I have to admit that I was surprised to see that Heath is in the top 1000 names for baby boys in the U.S. and has been every year since 1966. The reason for its appearance in 1966 was almost certainly the television show The Big Valley, which debuted in 1965 with Lee Majors as Heath Barkley. That doesn't explain why the name is still being used, and it doesn't explain why the only Heath I've ever been acquainted with is a Heath Bar.