Total births
40,705
Unisex name · since 1880
Harley
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 40,705 babies named Harley, peaking in 1994. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1019
- among boys today
- 40,705
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Harley is the #1019 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 40,705 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harley has been recorded 40,705 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1019 nationally and more common than 93% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1019 among boys today
- 40,705 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 93% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Harley is currently the #1019 unisex name in America, more common than 93% of boys - 40,705 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1019
- among boys today
- 40,705
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Harley vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1019
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 93% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Harley was born in this single decade.
1994
Single peak year
789 babies were named Harley in 1994 - its busiest year on record.
How Harley compares
40,705 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Harley's all-time total is 111x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Harley | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 40,705 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 789 | 23 | 22,252 |
Harley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Harley splits its recorded history at 1953: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1885 (51 births) -- compare that against the 1994 peak of 789 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Harley at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1994
Current rank
#1,019
Active since
1880
Harley popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1994)
- 789
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Harley popularity over time - girls
31,167 total births recorded since 1916 (Harley as girls' name)
Harley by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Harley's strongest decade.
5,578 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Harley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 685
1880s
685 births
- 1890s 690
1890s
690 births
- 1900s 686
1900s
686 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,161 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,867 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,781 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,215 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,343 births
- 1960s 1,382
1960s
1,382 births
- 1970s 1,677
1970s
1,677 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,309 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,578 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,114 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,778 births
- 2020s 1,439
2020s
1,439 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,578 births (14% of all-time use).
How Harley 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 Harley's total volume
Harley vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Harley by state
Where Harley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,505 | 6.2% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 2,430 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 2,414 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 1,514 | 3.7% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 1,408 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 1,383 | 3.4% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 1,352 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 1,331 | 3.3% |
California share of Harley's total US births 6.2%
Even split
2,505 of 40,705 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Harley appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harley? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 40,705 babies named Harley. Today it holds rank #1019 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1994, with 789 births.
When was Harley most popular? ▼
Harley was most popular in the 1990s decade with 5,578 total births. The single peak year was 1994.
Where is Harley most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Harley are California (2,505 births), Ohio (2,430 births), Texas (2,414 births).
Is Harley a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Harley is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 40,705 births, and as a girl's name it has 31,167 births.
How long has the name Harley been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Harley since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Harley? ▼
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 Harley's data
- Harley's decade-level peak was the 1990s (5,578 total births); usage has since declined to 1,439 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Harleys (2,505 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Harley
Nearby Names Like Harley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harley
Harold Boy
#988 551,632 births
Harry Boy
#775 423,866 births
Harvey Boy
#245 127,925 births
Harrison Boy
#121 99,138 births
Harlan Boy
#666 26,481 births
Compare Harley side by side: Harley vs Harold Harley vs Harry Harley vs Harvey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Harley
Titan #1018
5,496 births · Peak 2017
Lyle #1020
59,190 births · Peak 1922
Harlem #1017
3,437 births · Peak 2023
Barron #1021
5,647 births · Peak 2025
Avraham #1016
4,992 births · Peak 2024
Jabari #1022
9,768 births · Peak 2006
Eliezer #1015
8,164 births · Peak 2025
Isa #1023
3,142 births · Peak 2025
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Harley: #1019 Unisex Name - 40,705 Births, Peak 1994." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/harley/. 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 Harley 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.