Harvey
Harvey was given to 1,381 boys in 2025, #251 among boys’ names; 128,792 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 47,700 Americans named Harvey and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (37% of everyone recorded); the median is 62 years old and half are between 18 and 76.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Harvey by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Harvey mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Harvey is “a male given name from the Celtic languages, in modern use often transferred back from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “iron” (hoiarn) and “blazing” (viu).
From Haerviu, name of a Breton saint, from Old Breton hoiarn (“iron”) + viu (“blazing”). Cognate with modern Breton Haerviu. In Ireland, used as an anglicisation of Irish Ó hAirmheadhaigh and Ó hEarchaidh. The civil parish in New Brunswick is probably named in honour of British colonial administrator John Harvey (1778 - 1852).
/ˈhɑ(ɹ)vi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Harvey?
#251 among boys’ names, 2025
Harvey rose from #439 in 2015 to #251 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.36 to 0.81 per 1,000.
2,294 babies in 1921, the peak
Harvey peaked in 1921, when 2,294 babies were given it (2,287 boys, #87 among boys’ names). The 1,400 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 61% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,381 | #251 | 0.81 |
| 2024 | 1,446 | #245 | 0.84 |
| 2023 | 1,028 | #326 | 0.60 |
| 2022 | 797 | #402 | 0.46 |
| 2021 | 733 | #421 | 0.42 |
| 2020 | 714 | #416 | 0.41 |
| 2019 | 773 | #404 | 0.43 |
| 2018 | 683 | #443 | 0.38 |
| 2017 | 856 | #383 | 0.46 |
| 2016 | 778 | #412 | 0.41 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 697 | #439 | 0.36 |
| 2014 | 578 | #487 | 0.30 |
| 2013 | 406 | #614 | 0.21 |
| 2012 | 288 | #787 | 0.15 |
| 2011 | 251 | #849 | 0.13 |
| 2010 | 189 | #1,027 | 0.10 |
| 2009 | 181 | #1,050 | 0.09 |
| 2008 | 145 | #1,214 | 0.07 |
| 2007 | 153 | #1,160 | 0.07 |
| 2006 | 143 | #1,180 | 0.07 |
| 2005 | 162 | #1,034 | 0.08 |
| 2004 | 156 | #1,044 | 0.08 |
| 2003 | 139 | #1,103 | 0.07 |
| 2002 | 139 | #1,079 | 0.07 |
| 2001 | 134 | #1,074 | 0.07 |
| 2000 | 162 | #938 | 0.08 |
| 1999 | 143 | #988 | 0.07 |
| 1998 | 139 | #988 | 0.07 |
| 1997 | 153 | #901 | 0.08 |
| 1996 | 143 | #916 | 0.08 |
| 1995 | 145 | #917 | 0.08 |
| 1994 | 170 | #811 | 0.09 |
| 1993 | 180 | #786 | 0.09 |
| 1992 | 177 | #788 | 0.09 |
| 1991 | 191 | #733 | 0.09 |
| 1990 | 214 | #691 | 0.10 |
| 1989 | 232 | #653 | 0.12 |
| 1988 | 254 | #579 | 0.13 |
| 1987 | 216 | #619 | 0.12 |
| 1986 | 189 | #650 | 0.10 |
| 1985 | 233 | #576 | 0.13 |
| 1984 | 206 | #588 | 0.11 |
| 1983 | 259 | #519 | 0.14 |
| 1982 | 254 | #538 | 0.14 |
| 1981 | 285 | #496 | 0.16 |
| 1980 | 284 | #501 | 0.16 |
| 1979 | 298 | #479 | 0.17 |
| 1978 | 320 | #444 | 0.19 |
| 1977 | 318 | #450 | 0.19 |
| 1976 | 327 | #429 | 0.21 |
| 1975 | 339 | #424 | 0.22 |
| 1974 | 425 | #370 | 0.27 |
| 1973 | 401 | #386 | 0.26 |
| 1972 | 443 | #373 | 0.27 |
| 1971 | 495 | #363 | 0.28 |
| 1970 | 542 | #347 | 0.29 |
| 1969 | 577 | #323 | 0.32 |
| 1968 | 630 | #300 | 0.36 |
| 1967 | 623 | #294 | 0.36 |
| 1966 | 661 | #290 | 0.37 |
| 1965 | 722 | #278 | 0.39 |
| 1964 | 865 | #262 | 0.43 |
| 1963 | 888 | #257 | 0.44 |
| 1962 | 858 | #260 | 0.41 |
| 1961 | 957 | #252 | 0.45 |
| 1960 | 1,003 | #252 | 0.47 |
| 1959 | 1,081 | #245 | 0.51 |
| 1958 | 1,178 | #224 | 0.56 |
| 1957 | 1,278 | #209 | 0.59 |
| 1956 | 1,379 | #198 | 0.65 |
| 1955 | 1,289 | #200 | 0.63 |
| 1954 | 1,460 | #182 | 0.72 |
| 1953 | 1,535 | #172 | 0.78 |
| 1952 | 1,594 | #165 | 0.82 |
| 1951 | 1,642 | #159 | 0.87 |
| 1950 | 1,811 | #147 | 1.0 |
| 1949 | 1,936 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1948 | 2,003 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1947 | 2,208 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1946 | 2,058 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1945 | 1,974 | #116 | 1.5 |
| 1944 | 1,951 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1943 | 2,244 | #111 | 1.6 |
| 1942 | 2,284 | #107 | 1.7 |
| 1941 | 2,017 | #106 | 1.6 |
| 1940 | 2,088 | #98 | 1.8 |
| 1939 | 1,946 | #102 | 1.8 |
| 1938 | 2,051 | #99 | 1.8 |
| 1937 | 2,081 | #95 | 2.0 |
| 1936 | 1,970 | #97 | 1.9 |
| 1935 | 1,958 | #99 | 1.9 |
| 1934 | 1,934 | #99 | 1.9 |
| 1933 | 1,896 | #97 | 1.9 |
| 1932 | 2,030 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 1931 | 1,978 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 1930 | 2,062 | #92 | 1.9 |
| 1929 | 2,064 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1928 | 2,186 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1927 | 2,201 | #94 | 2.0 |
| 1926 | 2,128 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1925 | 2,190 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 1924 | 2,242 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 1923 | 2,115 | #91 | 1.9 |
| 1922 | 2,207 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 1921 | 2,287 | #87 | 2.1 |
| 1920 | 2,165 | #87 | 2.0 |
| 1919 | 2,028 | #85 | 2.1 |
| 1918 | 2,111 | #88 | 2.1 |
| 1917 | 1,808 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1916 | 1,763 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1915 | 1,613 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 1914 | 1,250 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 1913 | 1,028 | #93 | 2.0 |
| 1912 | 875 | #91 | 2.0 |
| 1911 | 446 | #91 | 2.0 |
| 1910 | 382 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1909 | 361 | #83 | 2.2 |
| 1908 | 339 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1907 | 335 | #77 | 2.3 |
| 1906 | 351 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1905 | 286 | #85 | 2.2 |
| 1904 | 300 | #79 | 2.3 |
| 1903 | 293 | #74 | 2.5 |
| 1902 | 264 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1901 | 253 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1900 | 322 | #81 | 2.1 |
| 1899 | 251 | #79 | 2.4 |
| 1898 | 284 | #74 | 2.3 |
| 1897 | 268 | #72 | 2.4 |
| 1896 | 292 | #70 | 2.4 |
| 1895 | 282 | #70 | 2.4 |
| 1894 | 293 | #67 | 2.5 |
| 1893 | 284 | #68 | 2.5 |
| 1892 | 298 | #69 | 2.4 |
| 1891 | 274 | #65 | 2.7 |
| 1890 | 296 | #65 | 2.7 |
| 1889 | 311 | #64 | 2.8 |
| 1888 | 334 | #62 | 2.8 |
| 1887 | 262 | #65 | 2.6 |
| 1886 | 310 | #60 | 2.8 |
| 1885 | 304 | #59 | 2.8 |
| 1884 | 358 | #53 | 3.1 |
| 1883 | 318 | #53 | 3.0 |
| 1882 | 300 | #61 | 2.6 |
| 1881 | 282 | #58 | 2.8 |
| 1880 | 344 | #51 | 3.1 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Harvey a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Harvey has been given almost only to boys: 867 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Harvey: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Harvey, and how old are they?
47,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 37% of the 128,792 Americans ever recorded as Harvey. The median Harvey alive today is 62 years old; half are between 18 and 76.
The 2020 Census counted 48,796 people named Harvey (270 women and girls, 48,526 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 50,871 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 7,210 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 17,200 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 6,490 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,170 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,640 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 11,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Harvey born?
The states with the most babies named Harvey are New York, Texas and Pennsylvania, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 10,196 | #393 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 7,289 | #378 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 6,973 | #274 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 5,972 | #256 | 1.5× |
| California | 5,498 | #332 | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 4,787 | #156 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 4,786 | #319 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 4,302 | #222 | 0.7× |
| Georgia | 4,224 | #603 | 1.2× |
| Wisconsin | 3,999 | #92 | 1.4× |
Where Harvey is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Harvey is most over-represented in North Carolina: since 1910 it was given 1.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Harvey with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 133,208 babies since 1880, Harvey is the most given (97% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,400 of their 1,416 babies (99%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Harvey
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Harvey and names like it
- Compare Harvey and HarvieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sHarvey peaked in 1921.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Harvey since 1910.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Harvey.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Harvey alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with HMost given first.