Boys' name · since 1880
Harl
Harl has 601 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7,061 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 601
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Harl is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 601 have been recorded since 1880.
Harl has 601 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 1973.
- #7,061 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 601 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harl ranks #7,061 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 601 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #7,061 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 601
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Harl's 601 recorded births place it above 84.46% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Arkansas.
Harl's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Harl splits its recorded history at 1938: 41% of all births land in the more recent half, 59% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 23 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Harl popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–1973
- Peak year (1920)
- 23
- Annual births at peak, across 94 years of records
Harl by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (145 births, 24% of the file).
1920s was Harl's strongest decade.
145 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Harl births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 6
1890s
6 births
- 1910s
1910s
95 births
- 1920s
1920s
145 births
- 1930s
1930s
133 births
- 1940s
1940s
108 births
- 1950s
1950s
61 births
- 1960s 34
1960s
34 births
- 1970s 14
1970s
14 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 145 births (24% of all-time use).
How Harl compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Harl's total volume
Harl by state
Where Harl concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Harl's data
- Harl's decade-level peak was the 1920s (145 total births); usage has since declined to 14 in the 1970s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Arkansas records the most Harls (6 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Arkansas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Harl
Nearby Names Like Harl
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harl
Compare Harl side by side: Harl vs Harold Harl vs Harry Harl vs Harvey
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Harl: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~93 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–1973 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Harl draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.