Harold is a distinctive choice, ranked #1025 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Harold in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#1025
US Rank #988
About the Name Harold
Harold is steadily gaining in popularity, up 26 places over the past five years. Its best recorded rank was #394 in 1996, and it currently sits at #1025. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Harold is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #988, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Harold
Unlikely. With around 29 UK babies named Harold per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Harold in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Harold is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 26 places over the last five years to #1025 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Harold is more popular in the US (#988) than in the UK (#1025). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Harold include: Hide the Pain Harold — Hide the Pain Harold is an Internet meme based on a series of stock photos of András István Arató, a Hungarian retired electrical engineer and model.; Harold Harefoot — Harold I, commonly known as Harold Harefoot, was King of England from 1037 to 1040.; Erika Harold — Erika Natalie Louise Harold is an American attorney, politician, and former Miss America..
Harold ranks #988 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
29
UK babies named Harold (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 26 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Harold
Likely around 1 other Harold in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Harold
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Harold Wallace Ross was an American journalist who co-founded The New Yorker magazine in 1925 with his wife Jane Grant, and was its editor-in-chief until his death.
Hide the Pain Harold is an Internet meme based on a series of stock photos of András István Arató, a Hungarian retired electrical engineer and model. In 2011, he became the subject of the meme due to his overall facial expression and seemingly fake smile.
Harold was a son of Harold Godwinson, King of England. He was driven into exile by the Norman conquest of England, and found refuge at the court of the king of Norway.
Harold I, commonly known as Harold Harefoot, was King of England from 1037 to 1040. His nickname "Harefoot" is first recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah" in the twelfth century in the history of Ely Abbey, and according to some late medieval chroniclers it meant that he was "fleet of foot".
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, was a British politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1976. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1963 to 1976, Leader of the Opposition twice from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1970 to 1974, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1983.
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American soul and R&B vocal group. One of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s, the group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco.