Harvey
Harvey was the 251st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,381 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 51st; the most babies were born in 1921 (2,287). Over the last ten years it has moved up 188 places. More babies were named Harvey in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning iron + blazing (Breton) · Breton
Say it HAR-vee /ˈhɑrvi/
- Rank in 2025
- #251 boys, up 165 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,381boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19212,287 babies
- Total since 1880
- 128,792babies recorded
What does the name Harvey mean?
Harvey comes from the Breton name Haerviu (French Hervé), the name of a 6th-century Breton saint. Wiktionary analyses it as Old Breton hoiarn, "iron", and viu, "blazing" or "worthy". Bretons who came with the Norman Conquest brought it to England, where it became a surname and later returned as a first name. In Ireland it was also used for some Gaelic surnames.
hoiarn (Old Breton, “iron”)viu (Old Breton, “blazing, worthy”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Breton elements are given by Wiktionary; Yonge's 1884 gloss 'bitter' differs and is outdated.
Related names: Hervé, Hervey.
See also: Celtic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Harvey', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Herve' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Harvey popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 867 since 1897, 19 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #251 | 1,381 |
| 2020 | #416 | 714 |
| 2010 | #1,027 | 189 |
| 2000 | #940 | 162 |
| 1990 | #693 | 214 |
| 1980 | #501 | 284 |
| 1970 | #347 | 542 |
| 1960 | #252 | 1,003 |
| 1950 | #147 | 1,811 |
| 1940 | #98 | 2,088 |
| 1930 | #92 | 2,062 |
| 1920 | #87 | 2,165 |
| 1910 | #89 | 382 |
| 1900 | #81 | 322 |
| 1890 | #65 | 296 |
| 1880 | #51 | 344 |
How popular is Harvey, counting every spelling?
Harvey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #268 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #251 for Harvey on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,381 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey | 1,381 | #251 | 5,385 |
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 Harvey?
1,381 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Harvey (0.38 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Harvey 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 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Harvey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Harvey?
About 47,200 people born in the US named Harvey are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 18 and 76. That makes Harvey a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Harvey by state
How common Harvey was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (4.9×), Utah (4.5×), South Dakota (4.2×), Minnesota (3.9×), Idaho (3.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, West Virginia, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Harvey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Harvey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Harvey · Sibling names for Harvey
Questions about the name Harvey
What does Harvey mean?
Harvey means “iron + blazing (Breton)” (Breton origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Harvey?
Harvey was the 251st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,381 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 51st; the most babies were born in 1921 (2,287). Over the last ten years it has moved up 188 places. More babies were named Harvey in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Harvey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Harvey in the US.
Where is Harvey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Harvey was most common in North Dakota (3.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and South Dakota.