Harriet

Harriet: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “home ruler”
Origin: English
Say it: HAR-ee-it · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

English medieval form of Henriette/Henrietta, the feminine of Henry, from Germanic Heimirich 'home ruler'. Harriet Tubman is a notable bearer.

English names French names Names meaning royalty Names meaning noble Classic names Vintage names

How popular is Harriet?

202462.0 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 Harriet in 2024208

2024 rank#1,153 girls

Peak year1880

Total US babies since 188090,197

Harriet is rising: use over the last five years is 2.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Harriet

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Halliedweller at the hall meadow · English
Hattiehome ruler · English
Harriettestate ruler · Germanic
Hettieestate ruler · English
Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Averyruler of elves · English

Harriet questions

What does the name Harriet mean?

Harriet means "home ruler". It comes from English. English medieval form of Henriette/Henrietta, the feminine of Henry, from Germanic Heimirich 'home ruler'. Harriet Tubman is a notable bearer.

Is Harriet a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Harriet?

208 US babies were named Harriet in 2024. Its peak year was 1880.

How do you pronounce Harriet?

Harriet is usually pronounced HAR-ee-it.

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.