Boy name · Old English
Harold
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: army rulerHarold is a boy's name that comes from Old English and means "army ruler". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Army ruler
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #993 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Harold
As a boy's name, Harold comes from Old English and means "army ruler". It is used in English.
Its meaning puts Harold on our names that mean warrior list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Harold on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Harold on 7 lists.
“Dignified enough for a basset hound's droopy face”
From Boy dog names, human names for boy dogs
“Army ruler; Old English. The last crowned Anglo-Saxon king, killed at Hastings”
From Classic boy names, royal and noble boy names
“A sensible, dapper name”
From Porch goose names, vintage and classic porch goose names
“Army ruler; Old English. Last Anglo-Saxon king, killed at Hastings in 1066”
From Medieval names and surnames, anglo-Saxon and Old English names
“Army ruler; Old English. The last Anglo-Saxon king of England”
From Names that mean warrior, names that mean army or soldier
“Army ruler; Old English. Hal or Harry for short”
From Old man names, old boy names from the 1900s to 1920s
“Army ruler; Old English, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king”
From Strong boy names, boy names that mean warrior or fighter
How popular is Harold?
- US rank in 2025
- #993
- 230 babies, 135 per million boys
- Best rank
- #12 in 1915
- Most babies: 14,149 in 1924
- Babies since 1880
- At least 551,632
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 1,827 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 6,151 per million |
| 1900s | 9,425 per million |
| 1910s | 11,943 per million |
| 1920s | 12,123 per million |
| 1930s | 9,035 per million |
| 1940s | 5,520 per million |
| 1950s | 3,076 per million |
| 1960s | 1,908 per million |
| 1970s | 1,065 per million |
| 1980s | 497 per million |
| 1990s | 283 per million |
| 2000s | 174 per million |
| 2010s | 146 per million |
| 2020s | 138 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #802 | #800 | #797 | #815 | #932 | #955 | #925 | #914 | #989 | #993 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Harold
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Harrycommon English nickname
- Halr becomes l, a change as old as Shakespeare's Prince Hal
Names spelled like Harold
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- HaraldArmy ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- HarelMountain of God (Hebrew, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ErikEternal ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- AlaricRuler of all (Germanic, boy)
- ArmandoArmy man (Germanic, boy)
- HenryHome ruler (Germanic, boy)
- HermanArmy man, soldier (Germanic, boy)
- RichardBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
- ArlethVariant of Arlette, from Herleva, possibly army and legacy (Germanic, girl)
- AubreyElf ruler (Germanic, unisex)
- DerekRuler of the people (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Harold
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
Harold: common questions
What does the name Harold mean?
Harold comes from Old English and means "army ruler".
Is Harold a boy or girl name?
Harold is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Harold?
Common nicknames for Harold include Harry and Hal.
How popular is the name Harold?
Harold ranked #993 in the US in 2025, with 230 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Harold?
Names spelled like Harold include Harald and Harel.
What middle names go with Harold?
Middle names that flow well with Harold include Ansel, Eli, Elton, Jack and Levi. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.