Hardy
Hardy was given to 54 boys in 2025, #2,496 among boys’ names; 5,831 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 2,470 Americans named Hardy and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (42% of everyone recorded); the median is 52 years old and half are between 17 and 70.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Hardy by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Hardy mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Hardy is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the sense “hardy, daring, stout, bold” (hardi).
As an English, Scottish, and French surname, from Middle English hardy, hardi, from Old French hardi (“hardy, daring, stout, bold”).
As an Irish surname, via mac giolla deacair (“son of the hard lad”) as a calque of the above.
Also as a Scottish surname, variant of Hardie.
/ˈhɑɹdi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Hardy?
#2,496 among boys’ names, 2025
Hardy rose from #2,783 in 2015 to #2,496 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 22.4 to 31.6 per million.
151 babies in 1921, the peak
Hardy peaked in 1921, when 151 boys were given it, #503 among boys’ names. The 54 births of 2025 are 36% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 54 | #2,496 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 53 | #2,538 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 39 | #3,137 | 0.02 |
| 2022 | 63 | #2,277 | 0.04 |
| 2021 | 52 | #2,533 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 38 | #3,038 | 0.02 |
| 2019 | 37 | #3,158 | 0.02 |
| 2018 | 35 | #3,261 | 0.02 |
| 2017 | 32 | #3,471 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 48 | #2,598 | 0.03 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 43 | #2,783 | 0.02 |
| 2014 | 32 | #3,406 | 0.02 |
| 2013 | 20 | #4,685 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 28 | #3,740 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 20 | #4,721 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 17 | #5,331 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 22 | #4,482 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 13 | #6,532 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 13 | #6,390 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 28 | #3,633 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 20 | #4,372 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 15 | #5,340 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 20 | #4,165 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 22 | #3,837 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 17 | #4,555 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 10 | #6,489 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 12 | #5,430 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,984 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 9 | #6,270 | under 0.01 |
| 1996 | 14 | #4,466 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 13 | #4,616 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 23 | #3,049 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 17 | #3,712 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 25 | #2,761 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 14 | #4,078 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 24 | #2,723 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 13 | #4,116 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 19 | #2,891 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 23 | #2,417 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 13 | #3,515 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 19 | #2,635 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 20 | #2,469 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 16 | #2,832 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 23 | #2,226 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 26 | #2,058 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 21 | #2,393 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 22 | #2,263 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 23 | #2,097 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 12 | #3,274 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 24 | #2,019 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 32 | #1,602 | 0.02 |
| 1974 | 25 | #1,856 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 24 | #1,841 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 37 | #1,399 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 33 | #1,505 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 36 | #1,402 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 31 | #1,451 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 34 | #1,328 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 33 | #1,321 | 0.02 |
| 1966 | 39 | #1,205 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 40 | #1,212 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 50 | #1,075 | 0.03 |
| 1963 | 47 | #1,131 | 0.02 |
| 1962 | 43 | #1,191 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 62 | #983 | 0.03 |
| 1960 | 53 | #1,061 | 0.02 |
| 1959 | 49 | #1,105 | 0.02 |
| 1958 | 49 | #1,097 | 0.02 |
| 1957 | 53 | #1,043 | 0.02 |
| 1956 | 45 | #1,133 | 0.02 |
| 1955 | 55 | #1,017 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 54 | #1,021 | 0.03 |
| 1953 | 65 | #891 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 60 | #918 | 0.03 |
| 1951 | 70 | #840 | 0.04 |
| 1950 | 54 | #938 | 0.03 |
| 1949 | 86 | #742 | 0.05 |
| 1948 | 59 | #894 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 72 | #815 | 0.04 |
| 1946 | 77 | #756 | 0.05 |
| 1945 | 71 | #730 | 0.05 |
| 1944 | 73 | #729 | 0.05 |
| 1943 | 75 | #749 | 0.05 |
| 1942 | 85 | #700 | 0.06 |
| 1941 | 77 | #704 | 0.06 |
| 1940 | 62 | #790 | 0.05 |
| 1939 | 59 | #796 | 0.05 |
| 1938 | 51 | #874 | 0.05 |
| 1937 | 70 | #724 | 0.07 |
| 1936 | 57 | #813 | 0.05 |
| 1935 | 63 | #782 | 0.06 |
| 1934 | 57 | #832 | 0.06 |
| 1933 | 54 | #845 | 0.05 |
| 1932 | 67 | #773 | 0.06 |
| 1931 | 61 | #803 | 0.06 |
| 1930 | 59 | #861 | 0.05 |
| 1929 | 72 | #747 | 0.07 |
| 1928 | 72 | #764 | 0.07 |
| 1927 | 72 | #776 | 0.06 |
| 1926 | 73 | #751 | 0.07 |
| 1925 | 83 | #712 | 0.07 |
| 1924 | 67 | #827 | 0.06 |
| 1923 | 118 | #577 | 0.11 |
| 1922 | 139 | #531 | 0.13 |
| 1921 | 151 | #503 | 0.14 |
| 1920 | 111 | #594 | 0.10 |
| 1919 | 84 | #680 | 0.09 |
| 1918 | 68 | #792 | 0.07 |
| 1917 | 73 | #719 | 0.08 |
| 1916 | 67 | #748 | 0.08 |
| 1915 | 55 | #827 | 0.06 |
| 1914 | 68 | #611 | 0.10 |
| 1913 | 45 | #674 | 0.09 |
| 1912 | 33 | #760 | 0.08 |
| 1911 | 30 | #553 | 0.13 |
| 1910 | 26 | #560 | 0.13 |
| 1909 | 29 | #477 | 0.18 |
| 1908 | 28 | #469 | 0.18 |
| 1907 | 19 | #569 | 0.13 |
| 1906 | 17 | #575 | 0.13 |
| 1905 | 8 | #959 | 0.06 |
| 1904 | 14 | #627 | 0.11 |
| 1903 | 18 | #511 | 0.15 |
| 1902 | 14 | #599 | 0.11 |
| 1901 | 15 | #517 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 26 | #450 | 0.17 |
| 1899 | 15 | #510 | 0.14 |
| 1898 | 23 | #411 | 0.19 |
| 1897 | 12 | #627 | 0.11 |
| 1896 | 20 | #449 | 0.17 |
| 1895 | 18 | #481 | 0.15 |
| 1894 | 19 | #447 | 0.16 |
| 1893 | 27 | #342 | 0.24 |
| 1892 | 20 | #430 | 0.16 |
| 1891 | 13 | #506 | 0.13 |
| 1890 | 27 | #336 | 0.24 |
| 1889 | 25 | #354 | 0.23 |
| 1888 | 24 | #380 | 0.20 |
| 1887 | 7 | #783 | 0.07 |
| 1886 | 26 | #334 | 0.23 |
| 1885 | 15 | #491 | 0.14 |
| 1884 | 19 | #420 | 0.17 |
| 1883 | 14 | #488 | 0.13 |
| 1882 | 26 | #348 | 0.23 |
| 1881 | 16 | #436 | 0.16 |
| 1880 | 19 | #396 | 0.17 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Hardy a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Hardy has been given almost only to boys: 17 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Hardy: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Hardy, and how old are they?
2,470 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 42% of the 5,831 Americans ever recorded as Hardy. The median Hardy alive today is 52 years old; half are between 17 and 70.
The 2020 Census counted 2,382 people named Hardy (79 women and girls, 2,303 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 2,503 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 239 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 712 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 408 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 287 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 272 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 549 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Hardy born?
The states with the most babies named Hardy are Texas, Georgia and Louisiana, with 51% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Louisiana is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 545 | #1,970 | 1.6× |
| Georgia | 318 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Louisiana | 306 | not ranked | 2.9× |
| Mississippi | 290 | not ranked | 3.3× |
| North Carolina | 276 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Alabama | 141 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| California | 108 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Florida | 75 | #1,934 | 0.6× |
| Arkansas | 65 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Tennessee | 63 | not ranked | 0.5× |
Where Hardy is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Hardy is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 3.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Hardy with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 6,475 babies since 1880, Hardy is the most given (90% of them). In 2025 it was given to 54 of their 54 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Hardy
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Hardy and names like it
- Compare Hardy and HardieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sHardy peaked in 1921.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Hardy since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Hardy: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Hardy.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Hardy alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with HMost given first.