How Many People Are Named Harold?
An estimated 183,886 people in the United States have the first name Harold. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #298 overall. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 69 years old, and Harold peaked in popularity in 1924 with 14,230 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Harold as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Harold paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Harold is overwhelmingly male, 2,648 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 69, Harold is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1967.
- Harold has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
183,886
About 1 in 1,864 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
69
years old
Peak Year
1924
14,230 births
Total Registered
554,046
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Harold
Harold is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 554,046 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Harold as a male name
Ranked #988 in 2024
227 male births in 2024
Peak: 1924 (14,149 births)
Harold as a female name
Ranked #14,813 in 2004
6 female births in 2004
Peak: 1927 (99 births)
Harold: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Harold span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 134,392 babies were registered. Harold has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Harold by Decade
How has Harold tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,001 | 2,001 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 7,052 | 7,018 | 34 | |
| 1900s | 12,849 | 12,795 | 54 | |
| 1910s | 80,088 | 79,721 | 367 | |
| 1920s | 134,392 | 133,585 | 807 | |
| 1930s | 95,898 | 95,467 | 431 | |
| 1940s | 82,453 | 82,177 | 276 | |
| 1950s | 62,404 | 62,181 | 223 | |
| 1960s | 36,935 | 36,741 | 194 | |
| 1970s | 17,745 | 17,590 | 155 | |
| 1980s | 9,279 | 9,185 | 94 | |
| 1990s | 5,525 | 5,518 | 7 | |
| 2000s | 3,477 | 3,471 | 6 | |
| 2010s | 2,748 | 2,748 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 1,200 | 1,200 | 0 | |
Harold by State
Birth registrations for Harold span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Delaware. On average, about 10,347 Harolds were registered per state.
Harold + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Harold as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Harold
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Harold: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harold?
We estimate approximately 183,886 people named Harold are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,864 Americans share this first name.
Is Harold a common name?
Harold is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 554,046 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Harold most popular?
Harold reached peak popularity in 1924, when 14,230 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Harold is approximately 69 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Harold a male name?
Harold is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Harold Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Harold Smith, Harold Johnson, Harold Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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