boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Harvey

Meaning iron Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #251 Trend ↑ Rising 84%

From Haerviu, name of a Breton saint, from Old Breton hoiarn (“iron”) + viu (“blazing”).

Rank 2025
#251
among boys · ↓6 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,400
named Harvey · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,237
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
2,294 babies
All-time total
128,792
#262 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Harvey popularity over time

128,792 babies have been named Harvey 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 3,123 3,123 312 – #51
1890s 5 2,822 2,827 283 -9% #65
1900s – 3,104 3,104 310 +10% #72
1910s 94 13,304 13,398 1,340 +332% #85
1920s 181 21,785 21,966 2,197 +64% #87
1930s 143 19,906 20,049 2,005 -9% #92
1940s 108 20,763 20,871 2,087 +4% #98
1950s 75 14,247 14,322 1,432 -31% #147
1960s 52 7,784 7,836 784 -45% #252
1970s 12 3,908 3,920 392 -50% #347
1980s – 2,412 2,412 241 -38% #496
1990s – 1,655 1,655 166 -31% #693
2000s – 1,514 1,514 151 -9% #940
2010s 72 5,499 5,571 557 +268% #383
2020s (to 2025) 125 6,099 6,224 1,037 +86% #245

Where Harvey 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 1,526 0.89 #231
2027 1,662 0.97 #212
2028 1,787 1.05 #198
2029 1,900 1.11 #193
2030 2,002 1.17 #184

Where Harvey is most popular

Boys named Harvey per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.623 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Utah, and South Dakota.

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 Harvey 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
North Dakota 52 3.05 +389%
Utah 267 2.80 +349%
South Dakota 49 2.63 +322%
Minnesota 297 2.42 +288%
Idaho 85 2.08 +233%
Wisconsin 210 1.77 +184%
Nebraska 68 1.56 +151%
Montana 25 1.42 +127%
New Hampshire 30 1.35 +117%
Iowa 93 1.35 +116%
Maine 26 1.34 +115%
Vermont 8 1.27 +104%
Kansas 77 1.12 +80%
Oregon 83 1.09 +75%
Missouri 151 1.09 +75%
Michigan 216 1.05 +69%
Washington 170 1.04 +67%
Alaska 11 0.924 +48%
Colorado 116 0.899 +44%
Indiana 136 0.848 +36%
Ohio 222 0.838 +34%
Kentucky 84 0.837 +34%
Alabama 88 0.805 +29%
South Carolina 77 0.745 +20%
Tennessee 133 0.737 +18%
Oklahoma 65 0.735 +18%
Pennsylvania 184 0.693 +11%
Arizona 113 0.691 +11%
Nevada 38 0.667 +7%
North Carolina 164 0.642 ≈ national
Arkansas 38 0.600 ≈ national
Virginia 113 0.596 ≈ national
Illinois 139 0.544 -13%
Massachusetts 70 0.509 -18%
Connecticut 34 0.502 -19%
California 424 0.464 -26%
Georgia 117 0.462 -26%
Texas 404 0.459 -26%
Florida 215 0.454 -27%
New York 195 0.450 -28%
Maryland 52 0.436 -30%
Mississippi 20 0.352 -44%
Louisiana 36 0.352 -44%
Delaware 5 0.330 -47%
New Jersey 55 0.273 -56%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -75%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -76%
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Harvey

Harvey is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #251 in 2025 with 1,381 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 128,792 American babies have been named Harvey. Its peak came in 1921, when 2,294 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Harvey stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Harvey?

The median living Harvey is about 64 years old; half are between 24 and 77. An estimated 52 thousand people named Harvey are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

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

Harvey 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 19 #6,196 1,381 #251
2024 26 #5,066 1,446 #245
2023 26 #5,045 1,028 #326
2022 18 #6,548 797 #402
2021 20 #6,033 733 #421
2020 16 #7,036 714 #416
2019 12 #8,784 773 #404
2018 10 #10,079 683 #443
2017 19 #6,373 856 #383
2016 13 #8,574 778 #412
2015 8 #12,250 697 #439
2014 5 #17,493 578 #487
2013 5 #17,534 406 #614
2012 – – 288 #787
2011 – – 251 #849
2010 – – 189 #1,027
2009 – – 181 #1,050
2008 – – 145 #1,214
2007 – – 153 #1,160
2006 – – 143 #1,180
2005 – – 162 #1,035
2004 – – 156 #1,045
2003 – – 139 #1,104
2002 – – 139 #1,080
2001 – – 134 #1,076
2000 – – 162 #940
1995 – – 145 #920
1990 – – 214 #693
1985 – – 233 #576
1980 – – 284 #501
1975 – – 339 #424
1970 – – 542 #347
1965 – – 722 #278
1960 11 #4,002 1,003 #252
1955 9 #4,177 1,289 #200
1950 12 #3,127 1,811 #147
1945 15 #2,272 1,974 #116
1940 14 #2,236 2,088 #98
1935 10 #2,815 1,958 #99
1930 10 #2,936 2,062 #92
1925 18 #2,144 2,190 #88
1920 21 #1,914 2,165 #87
1915 8 #3,256 1,613 #95
1910 – – 382 #89
1905 – – 286 #85
1900 – – 322 #81
1895 – – 282 #70
1890 – – 296 #65
1885 – – 304 #59
1880 – – 344 #51

Famous people named Harvey

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

  1. 1 Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein American film producer and sex offender (born 1952) Contemporary
  2. 2 Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel American actor (born 1939) Contemporary
  3. 3 Harvey Milk Harvey Milk American gay rights activist (1930–1978) Contemporary
  4. 4 Harvey Elliott Harvey Elliott English footballer (born 2003) Contemporary
  5. 5 Harvey Fierstein Harvey Fierstein American actor and playwright (born 1952) b. 1954 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Harvey Barnes Harvey Barnes English footballer (born 1997) Contemporary
  7. 7 Harvey Korman Harvey Korman American actor and comedian (1927–2008) Contemporary
  8. 8 Harvey Pekar Harvey Pekar American comic book writer, music critic and media personality 1939–2010 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Harvey S. Firestone Harvey S. Firestone American businessman (1868–1938) 19th century
  10. 10 Harvey Cushing Harvey Cushing American neurosurgeon (1869–1939) 19th century
  11. 11 Harvey Atkin Harvey Atkin Canadian actor (1942–2017) Contemporary
  12. 12 Harvey Mason Harvey Mason American drummer (born 1947) Contemporary
  13. 13 Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman American cartoonist (1924–1993) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Harvey?

The median living Harvey is about 64 years old. Half of all living Harveys are between 24 and 77 years old.

How many people named Harvey are alive today?

An estimated 52 thousand people named Harvey are alive in the United States, based on 128,792 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Harvey mean?

From Haerviu, name of a Breton saint, from Old Breton hoiarn (“iron”) + viu (“blazing”).

How popular is the name Harvey in 2025?

Harvey ranked #251 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,381 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Harvey?

128,792 babies have been named Harvey in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Harvey most popular?

Harvey peaked in 1921, when 2,294 newborns received the name.

Is Harvey a boy or girl name?

Harvey is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Harvey rising or falling?

Harvey is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Harvey become more popular?

Harvey is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,002 boys named Harvey in 2030, which would rank around #184. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Harvey?

Well-known people named Harvey include Harvey Weinstein (producer), Harvey Keitel (actor), Harvey Milk (politician).

Names like Harvey

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

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