Boys' name · since 1988
Harsh
665 babies named Harsh in U.S. Social Security records since 1988, with the highest year being 2004. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,657 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 665
- born since 1988
- 2000s
- peak decade
Harsh is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 665 have been recorded since 1988.
Social Security Administration records show Harsh recorded 665 times among boys since 1988, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1988 to 2024.
- #6,657 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 665 born since 1988
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harsh ranks #6,657 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 665 born since 1988, peaking in the 2000s.
- #6,657 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 665
- born since 1988
- 2000s
- peak decade
Harsh's 665 recorded births place it above 85.35% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by New Jersey.
Harsh's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Harsh's full recorded timeline at 2006, 37% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 63% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2023, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2004 peak of 46 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Harsh popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1988–2024
- Peak year (2004)
- 46
- Annual births at peak, across 37 years of records
Harsh by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (279 births, 42% of the file).
2000s was Harsh's strongest decade.
279 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Harsh births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 7
1980s
7 births
- 1990s
1990s
222 births
- 2000s
2000s
279 births
- 2010s
2010s
130 births
- 2020s 27
2020s
27 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 279 births (42% of all-time use).
How Harsh 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 Harsh's total volume
Harsh by state
Where Harsh concentrates geographically, total births since 1988
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New Jersey | | 122 | 18.3% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 18 | 2.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 16 | 2.4% |
| #4 | California | | 11 | 1.7% |
122 of 665 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Harsh's data
- Harsh's decade-level peak was the 2000s (279 total births); usage has since declined to 27 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New Jersey records the most Harshs (122 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New Jersey names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Harsh
Nearby Names Like Harsh
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harsh
Compare Harsh side by side: Harsh vs Harold Harsh vs Harry Harsh 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 Harsh: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2004)
Similar record span (~36 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, 1988–2024 (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 Harsh 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.