Mostly boys · peaked in 1887
Harley name popularity since 1925
64,083 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Harley (48.6% girls, 51.4% boys). Half of them were born in 2002 or earlier, so the typical Harley is about 24 years old in 2026. Harley peaked in 1887 as the #164 name for boys, and it was outside the top 1,000 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 64,083
- Named Harley, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1887
- #164 for boys that year
- In 2025
- Not top 1,000
- #1,083 for boys in 2025
- Girls / boys
- 51.4% boys
- 31,146 girls · 32,937 boys
- Most popular in
- Oklahoma
- 2.36× its national share
Peak year is the year Harley made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Harley births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1994. Measured as a share of all babies, Harley peaked earlier, in 1887.
- Steepest fall: Between 1957 and 1962, Harley's share of baby boys fell by 39%, from 1 in 9,220 to 1 in 15,000.
- Fastest rise: Between 1988 and 1993, it became 3.1× more common, from 1 in 8,400 baby boys to 1 in 2,690.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Harley's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Harley.
Decade by decade
Babies named Harley in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 14 | 2,321 | – |
| 1930s | 34 | 3,781 | #284 |
| 1940s | 0 | 3,215 | #343 |
| 1950s | 10 | 2,343 | #490 |
| 1960s | 5 | 1,382 | #670 |
| 1970s | 47 | 1,677 | #700 |
| 1980s | 223 | 2,309 | #582 |
| 1990s | 6,266 | 5,578 | #366 |
| 2000s | 8,212 | 5,114 | #505 |
| 2010s | 10,757 | 3,778 | #654 |
| 2020–25 | 5,578 | 1,439 | #1,083 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
32.2% of babies named Harley from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Harley is most popular
The index compares Harley's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Harley.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 2.36× | 1,809 |
| West Virginia | 2.06× | 1,065 |
| Arkansas | 1.80× | 1,089 |
| South Dakota | 1.75× | 327 |
| Tennessee | 1.75× | 2,167 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Harley's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Harley.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Harley (1887).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data