Harold

Harold: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “army ruler”
Origin: Old English
Say it: HAIR-əld · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Old English Hereweald, from elements meaning 'army' and 'power, rule'. It is also associated with Old Norse Haraldr, a cognate form.

English names Scandinavian names Names meaning warrior Names meaning royalty Names meaning strength Classic names Vintage names Royal names

How popular is Harold?

202468.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Harold in 2024227

2024 rank#987 boys

Peak year1920

Total US babies since 1880554,046

Harold is steady now but far below its 1920 peak.

Names like Harold

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Harryhome ruler · English
Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
Westonwestern settlement · Old English
Blakeblack; pale · Old English
Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
Ashtonash tree town · Old English
Kingstonking's town · Old English
Brandonbroom-covered hill · Old English

Harold questions

What does the name Harold mean?

Harold means "army ruler". It comes from Old English. From Old English Hereweald, from elements meaning 'army' and 'power, rule'. It is also associated with Old Norse Haraldr, a cognate form.

Is Harold a boy or girl name?

Harold is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Harold?

227 US babies were named Harold in 2024. Its peak year was 1920.

How do you pronounce Harold?

Harold is usually pronounced HAIR-əld.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.