Boys' name · peaked in 1920
Harold name popularity since 1925
382,843 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Harold. Half of them were born in 1943 or earlier, so the typical Harold is about 83 years old in 2026. Harold peaked in 1920 as the #12 name for boys, and it ranked #993 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 382,843
- Named Harold, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1920
- #12 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #993
- for boys in 2025 (230 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.5% boys
- 1,851 girls · 380,992 boys
- Most popular in
- West Virginia
- 2.43× its national share
Peak year is the year Harold 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.
Harold births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Harold peaked earlier, in 1920.
- Steepest fall: Between 1973 and 1978, Harold's share of baby boys fell by 35%, from 1 in 860 to 1 in 1,320.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Harold's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Harold.
Decade by decade
Babies named Harold 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 | 465 | 64,480 | – |
| 1930s | 431 | 95,467 | #20 |
| 1940s | 276 | 82,176 | #28 |
| 1950s | 223 | 62,183 | #63 |
| 1960s | 194 | 36,744 | #99 |
| 1970s | 155 | 17,587 | #153 |
| 1980s | 94 | 9,183 | #259 |
| 1990s | 7 | 5,518 | #441 |
| 2000s | 6 | 3,472 | #627 |
| 2010s | 0 | 2,748 | #809 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 1,434 | #993 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
44.3% of babies named Harold from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Harold is most popular
The index compares Harold'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 Harold.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 2.43× | 8,203 |
| Kentucky | 1.97× | 12,640 |
| Arkansas | 1.82× | 7,160 |
| South Carolina | 1.66× | 8,885 |
| Oklahoma | 1.62× | 8,094 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Harold's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Harold.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Harold (1920).
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