Total births
601
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.
- 601
- total births
- 1880–1973
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that 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.
- 601 total births
- 1880–1973 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 24% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
601 boys have been named Harl since 1880, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 1973.
- 601
- total births
- 1880–1973
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Harl was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
23 babies were named Harl in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 1973Peak year
1920
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Harl by state
Where Harl concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harl? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 601 babies named Harl. The most recent recorded year was 1973. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 23 births.
When was Harl most popular? ▼
Harl was most popular in the 1920s decade with 145 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Harl most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Harl are Arkansas (6 births), Missouri (5 births).
How long has the name Harl been used? ▼
Harl has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 94 years of data through 1973.
What names are similar to Harl? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Harold, Harry, Harvey, Harrison, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Harold Boy
#988 551,632 births
Harry Boy
#775 423,866 births
Harvey Boy
#245 127,925 births
Harrison Boy
#121 99,138 births
Harley Boy
#1019 40,705 births
Compare Harl side by side: Harl vs Harold Harl vs Harry Harl vs Harvey
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Harl: Baby Name Since 1880 - 601 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/harl. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.