Total births
551,632
Boys' name · since 1880
Harold
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 551,632 babies named Harold, peaking in 1924. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #988
- among boys today
- 551,632
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Harold currently ranks #988 among boys' names in America, with 551,632 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Harold recorded 551,632 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #988 nationally today, ahead of 93% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #988 among boys today
- 551,632 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 93% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Harold is currently the #988 boys' name in America, more common than 93% of boys - 551,632 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #988
- among boys today
- 551,632
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Harold vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#988
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 93% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Harold was born in this single decade.
1924
Single peak year
14,149 babies were named Harold in 1924 - its busiest year on record.
How Harold compares
551,632 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Harold's all-time total is 1,503x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Harold | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 551,632 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 14,149 | 23 | 22,252 |
Harold's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Harold splits its recorded history at 1953: 21% of all births land in the more recent half, 79% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1883 (108 births) -- compare that against the 1924 peak of 14,149 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Harold at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1924
Current rank
#988
Active since
1880
Harold popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 14,149
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Harold popularity over time - girls
2,648 total births recorded since 1893 (Harold as girls' name)
Harold by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Harold's strongest decade.
133,585 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Harold births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,001
1880s
2,001 births
- 1890s 7,018
1890s
7,018 births
- 1900s 12,795
1900s
12,795 births
- 1910s
1910s
79,721 births
- 1920s
1920s
133,585 births
- 1930s
1930s
95,467 births
- 1940s
1940s
82,176 births
- 1950s
1950s
62,183 births
- 1960s 36,744
1960s
36,744 births
- 1970s 17,587
1970s
17,587 births
- 1980s 9,183
1980s
9,183 births
- 1990s 5,518
1990s
5,518 births
- 2000s 3,472
2000s
3,472 births
- 2010s 2,748
2010s
2,748 births
- 2020s 1,434
2020s
1,434 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 133,585 births (24% of all-time use).
How Harold 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 Harold's total volume
Harold vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Harold by state
Where Harold concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 46,023 | 8.3% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 34,469 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 30,867 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 30,737 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 23,143 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 21,447 | 3.9% |
| #7 | California | | 20,184 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 18,854 | 3.4% |
New York share of Harold's total US births 8.3%
Even split
46,023 of 551,632 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Harold appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harold? ▼
Harold has been given to 551,632 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #988 as of the latest data. 14,149 babies were born in 1924, its single highest year.
When was Harold most popular? ▼
Harold was most popular in the 1920s decade with 133,585 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Harold most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Harold are New York (46,023 births), Pennsylvania (34,469 births), Illinois (30,867 births).
How long has the name Harold been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Harold since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Harold? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Harry, Harvey, Harrison, Harley, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Harold's data
- Harold's decade-level peak was the 1920s (133,585 total births); usage has since declined to 1,434 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Harolds (46,023 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Harold
Nearby Names Like Harold
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harold
Harry Boy
#775 423,866 births
Harvey Boy
#245 127,925 births
Harrison Boy
#121 99,138 births
Harley Boy
#1019 40,705 births
Harlan Boy
#666 26,481 births
Compare Harold side by side: Harold vs Harry Harold vs Harvey Harold vs Harrison
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Harold
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. "Harold: #988 Boys' Name - 551,632 Births, Peak 1924." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/harold. 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 Harold 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.