boys' name ★ peaked 1918

Harry

Meaning Harry is a male given name Gender Boy Rank 2025 #775 Trend ↓ Falling 15%

Harry is a male given name.

Rank 2025
#775
among boys · ↑1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
329
named Harry · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,192
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
9,938 babies
All-time total
425,883
#79 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Harry popularity over time

425,883 babies have been named Harry since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
6.2512.518.752518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 98 22,649 22,747 2,275 – #8
1890s 101 21,330 21,431 2,143 -6% #9
1900s 97 17,906 18,003 1,800 -16% #13
1910s 281 65,874 66,155 6,616 +267% #13
1920s 511 86,183 86,694 8,669 +31% #21
1930s 282 53,115 53,397 5,340 -38% #28
1940s 202 56,245 56,447 5,645 +6% #47
1950s 154 43,335 43,489 4,349 -23% #61
1960s 125 22,670 22,795 2,280 -48% #124
1970s 106 11,654 11,760 1,176 -48% #169
1980s 60 7,524 7,584 758 -36% #258
1990s – 5,406 5,406 541 -29% #367
2000s – 4,311 4,311 431 -20% #501
2010s – 3,603 3,603 360 -16% #623
2020s (to 2025) – 2,061 2,061 344 -5% #695

Where Harry is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 321 0.19 outside top 500
2027 314 0.18 outside top 500
2028 308 0.18 outside top 500
2029 303 0.18 outside top 500
2030 299 0.18 outside top 500

Where Harry is most popular

Boys named Harry per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.199 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Massachusetts, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Harry born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 6 0.504 +154%
Massachusetts 68 0.495 +149%
New York 200 0.462 +132%
New Jersey 85 0.422 +113%
District of Columbia 6 0.406 +105%
Connecticut 18 0.266 +34%
Maryland 31 0.260 +31%
Virginia 49 0.258 +30%
Pennsylvania 67 0.252 +27%
Florida 119 0.251 +26%
California 223 0.244 +23%
Georgia 59 0.233 +17%
Washington 37 0.226 +14%
South Carolina 21 0.203 ≈ national
Illinois 50 0.196 ≈ national
Indiana 27 0.168 -15%
Michigan 34 0.166 -16%
Kansas 11 0.160 -19%
Missouri 22 0.159 -20%
Oregon 12 0.158 -20%
Wisconsin 18 0.152 -24%
Arizona 24 0.147 -26%
Texas 128 0.145 -27%
North Carolina 36 0.141 -29%
Kentucky 11 0.110 -45%
Louisiana 11 0.108 -46%
Oklahoma 9 0.102 -49%
Ohio 26 0.098 -51%
Tennessee 17 0.094 -53%
Colorado 12 0.093 -53%
Minnesota 11 0.090 -55%
Utah 6 0.063 -68%
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Harry

Harry is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #775 in 2025 with 329 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 425,883 American babies have been named Harry. Its peak came in 1918, when 9,938 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Harry stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Harry?

The median living Harry is about 69 years old; half are between 54 and 78. An estimated 122 thousand people named Harry are alive in the United States today.

median 69 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Harry year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 329 #775
2024 – – 324 #776
2023 – – 323 #784
2022 – – 381 #695
2021 – – 359 #721
2020 – – 345 #719
2019 – – 414 #649
2018 – – 428 #623
2017 – – 401 #648
2016 – – 377 #677
2015 – – 302 #779
2014 – – 337 #716
2013 – – 331 #712
2012 – – 325 #721
2011 – – 324 #707
2010 – – 364 #660
2009 – – 384 #646
2008 – – 381 #642
2007 – – 445 #578
2006 – – 414 #595
2005 – – 459 #528
2004 – – 447 #530
2003 – – 447 #524
2002 – – 438 #518
2001 – – 454 #501
2000 – – 442 #512
1995 – – 508 #448
1990 – – 628 #371
1985 8 #7,815 778 #269
1980 8 #7,645 859 #258
1975 13 #4,679 1,074 #204
1970 11 #4,860 1,696 #169
1965 10 #4,306 2,111 #146
1960 22 #2,599 3,024 #124
1955 16 #2,882 4,139 #89
1950 18 #2,381 5,375 #61
1945 21 #1,847 5,650 #47
1940 17 #1,993 4,681 #47
1935 33 #1,250 5,054 #37
1930 44 #1,119 6,847 #28
1925 45 #1,154 8,610 #23
1920 46 #1,109 9,406 #21
1915 27 #1,379 8,470 #19
1910 9 #1,687 1,978 #16
1905 12 #1,119 1,619 #14
1900 7 #1,637 2,272 #13
1895 15 #834 2,128 #12
1890 12 #803 2,345 #10
1885 11 #672 2,198 #12
1880 6 #785 2,152 #12

Famous people named Harry

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman President of the United States from 1945 to 1953 1884–1972 · 19th century
  2. 2 Harry Houdini Harry Houdini American escapologist and stuntman (1874–1926) 19th century
  3. 3 Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton American actor (1926–2017) Contemporary
  4. 4 Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte American singer and actor (1927–2023) Contemporary
  5. 5 Harry Nilsson Harry Nilsson American singer-songwriter (1941–1994) Contemporary
  6. 6 Harry Morgan Harry Morgan American actor (1915–2011) Contemporary
  7. 7 Harry Carey Jr. Harry Carey Jr. American actor (1921–2012) Contemporary
  8. 8 Harry Harlow Harry Harlow American psychologist (1905–1981) Contemporary
  9. 9 Harry Reems Harry Reems American pornographic actor (1947–2013) Contemporary
  10. 10 Harry Andrews Harry Andrews English actor (1911–1989) Contemporary
  11. 11 Harry Guardino Harry Guardino American actor (1925–1995) Contemporary
  12. 12 Harry Gregg Northern Irish footballer and manager (1932–2020) Contemporary
  13. 13 Harry Patch Harry Patch English soldier and supercentenarian (1898–2009) 19th century
  14. 14 Harry Dexter White Harry Dexter White American economist and accused spy (1892–1948) 19th century
  15. 15 Harry Saltzman Harry Saltzman Canadian theatre and film producer (1915–1994) Contemporary
  16. 16 Harry Harrison Harry Harrison American science fiction author (1925–2012) Contemporary
  17. 17 Harry Partch Harry Partch American composer (1901–1974) Contemporary
  18. 18 Harry Markowitz American economist and Nobel Laureate (1927–2023) Contemporary
  19. 19 Harry Nyquist Harry Nyquist Swedish-American physicist (1889–1976) 19th century
  20. 20 Harry Martinson Harry Martinson Swedish writer 1904–1978 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Harry, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Harry?

The median living Harry is about 69 years old. Half of all living Harrys are between 54 and 78 years old.

How many people named Harry are alive today?

An estimated 122 thousand people named Harry are alive in the United States, based on 425,883 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Harry mean?

Harry is a male given name.

How popular is the name Harry in 2025?

Harry ranked #775 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 329 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Harry?

425,883 babies have been named Harry in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Harry most popular?

Harry peaked in 1918, when 9,938 newborns received the name.

Is Harry a boy or girl name?

Harry is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Harry rising or falling?

Harry has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Harry become more popular?

Harry is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 299 boys named Harry in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Harry?

Well-known people named Harry include Harry S. Truman (politician), Harry Houdini (magician), Harry Dean Stanton (actor).

Names like Harry

Names that sound and feel close to Harry: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Harry with similar names → More names starting with H →