Harlem
Harlem was the 971st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 236 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 906th; the most babies were born in 2023 (254). Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Harlem in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Haarlem (Dutch city) · Dutch
Say it HAR-lum /ˈhɑrləm/
- Rank in 2025
- #971 boys, down 65 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 236boys
- Girls and boys
- 39% girls, 61% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023254 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,182babies recorded
What does the name Harlem mean?
Harlem is the name of the neighborhood in northern Manhattan, first called Nieuw Haarlem by Dutch settlers after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands. Wiktionary explains Haarlem as an old Dutch compound of a personal name, Harala or Harila, and hēm 'home, settlement', first recorded in the 10th century. As a first name for boys and girls, Harlem is a place-name transfer.
Haarlem (Dutch, “a city in North Holland”)hēm (Old Dutch, “home, settlement”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Dutch place-name analysis comes from Wiktionary alone.
See also: Germanic names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Harlem', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Haarlem' (Dutch section), Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Harlem popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,462 | #971 | 147 | 236 |
| 2020 | #1,377 | #906 | 158 | 248 |
| 2010 | #4,653 | #1,553 | 31 | 103 |
| 2000 | #15,924 | #11,008 | 5 | 5 |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Harlem, counting every spelling?
Harlem has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #936 for boys in 2025, against #971 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Harlem?
236 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Harlem (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Harlem born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 36 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Harlem.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Harlem?
About 3,400 people born in the US named Harlem are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 12. That makes Harlem a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Harlem by state
How common Harlem was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (4.9×), Mississippi (4.1×), Alabama (2.4×), Maryland (2.4×), Georgia (2.2×). In 25 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Harlem: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Harlem, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Harlem · Sibling names for Harlem
Questions about the name Harlem
What does Harlem mean?
Harlem means “from Haarlem (Dutch city)” (Dutch origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Harlem?
Harlem was the 971st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 236 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 906th; the most babies were born in 2023 (254). Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Harlem in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Harlem a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 39% girls, 61% boys given the name Harlem in the US.
Where is Harlem most popular?
In 2021–2025, Harlem was most common in Louisiana (0.68 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Alabama.