Boys' name · since 1880
Harvey
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 127,925 babies named Harvey, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #262 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #252 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 127,925
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Harvey currently ranks #252 among boys' names in America, with 127,925 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harvey has been recorded 127,925 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #252 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #262 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #252 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 127,925 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Harvey ranks #262 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #252 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 127,925 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #262 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #252 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 127,925
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Harvey's 127,925 recorded births place it above 99.42% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Harvey compares
127,925 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 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
Harvey's all-time total is 347x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Harvey | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 127,925 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,287 | 34 | 22,252 |
Harvey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Harvey's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 30% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 70%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2001, with only 134 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 2,287, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Harvey popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 2,287
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Harvey popularity over time - girls
867 total births recorded since 1897 (Harvey as girls' name)
Harvey by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (21,785 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Harvey's strongest decade.
21,785 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Harvey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,123
1880s
3,123 births
- 1890s 2,822
1890s
2,822 births
- 1900s 3,104
1900s
3,104 births
- 1910s
1910s
13,304 births
- 1920s
1920s
21,785 births
- 1930s
1930s
19,906 births
- 1940s
1940s
20,763 births
- 1950s
1950s
14,247 births
- 1960s 7,784
1960s
7,784 births
- 1970s 3,908
1970s
3,908 births
- 1980s 2,412
1980s
2,412 births
- 1990s 1,655
1990s
1,655 births
- 2000s 1,514
2000s
1,514 births
- 2010s 5,499
2010s
5,499 births
- 2020s 6,099
2020s
6,099 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 21,785 births (17% of all-time use).
How Harvey 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 Harvey's total volume
Harvey by state
Where Harvey concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 10,196 | 8.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 7,273 | 5.7% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 6,973 | 5.5% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 5,972 | 4.7% |
| #5 | California | | 5,498 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 4,787 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 4,786 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 4,302 | 3.4% |
10,196 of 127,925 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Harvey appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harvey? ▼
Where does Harvey sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Harvey most popular? ▼
Where is Harvey most popular? ▼
How long has the name Harvey been used? ▼
What names are similar to Harvey? ▼
What to do with Harvey's data
- Harvey's decade-level peak was the 1920s (21,785 total births); usage has since declined to 6,099 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Harveys (10,196 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Harvey
Nearby Names Like Harvey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harvey
Compare Harvey side by side: Harvey vs Harold Harvey vs Harry Harvey vs Harrison
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Harvey
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Harvey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Harvey 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.