Harlow
Harlow was the 309th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 981 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 237th with 1,278 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 113 places. More babies were named Harlow in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning rock hill or army hill (English place name) · Old English
Say it HAR-loh /ˈhɑrloʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #309 girls, up 15 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 981girls
- Girls and boys
- 88% girls, 12% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20211,278 babies
- Total since 1880
- 16,655babies recorded
What does the name Harlow mean?
Harlow is an English place name, the town in Essex, which became a surname and then a first name. Wiktionary derives it from Old English hlāw, "mound, hill", with a first element that is either hær, "rock, heap of stones", or here, "army". As a girls' name it is a 21st-century American use, often tied to the 1930s film star Jean Harlow (born Harlean Carpentier), whom Dictionary.com lists under the name.
hlǣw (Old English, “mound, hill”)here (Old English, “army”)hær (Old English, “rock, heap of stones”)
How sure is this? Probable. The second element (hill) is clear; the first may be 'army' or 'rock'.
Related names: Harley, Marlowe.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Harlow', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Harlow', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Harlow popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #309 | #1,214 | 981 | 167 |
| 2020 | #324 | #2,246 | 959 | 61 |
| 2010 | #777 | #4,576 | 354 | 21 |
| 2000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | #4,439 | — | 6 |
| 1960 | — | #2,953 | — | 9 |
| 1950 | — | #1,969 | — | 15 |
| 1940 | — | #1,168 | — | 33 |
| 1930 | — | #1,350 | — | 29 |
| 1920 | — | #1,287 | — | 32 |
| 1910 | — | #1,695 | — | 5 |
| 1900 | — | #870 | — | 10 |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Harlow, counting every spelling?
Harlow is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #297 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #309 for Harlow on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,094 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlow | 981 | #309 | 5,814 |
| Harlowe | 113 | #1,784 | 476 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Harlow?
981 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Harlow (0.27 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Harlow 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 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Harlow.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Harlow?
About 13,900 people born in the US named Harlow are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 11. That makes Harlow 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.
Harlow by state
How common Harlow was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Montana (4.0×), North Dakota (3.1×), Oregon (2.9×), South Dakota (2.7×), West Virginia (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maine.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Harlow: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Harlow, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Harlow · Sibling names for Harlow
Questions about the name Harlow
What does Harlow mean?
Harlow means “rock hill or army hill (English place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Harlow?
Harlow was the 309th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 981 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 237th with 1,278 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 113 places. More babies were named Harlow in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Harlow a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 88% girls, 12% boys given the name Harlow in the US.
Where is Harlow most popular?
In 2021–2025, Harlow was most common in Montana (2.88 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and North Dakota.