Harald
Masculine · “army ruler”
Harald is the Norse form of a name that means the army's ruler, and it belongs to the two most consequential kings of the Viking age: Harald Fairhair, who unified Norway, and Harald Hardrada, whose death at Stamford Bridge in 1066 is usually treated as the end of the Viking era. Its American peak is 1925.
How old is the name Harald?
Harald first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Harald alive today was born around 1942, making them about 83 years old. About 400 people named Harald are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Harald most popular?
Harald peaked in 1925, reaching #1534 nationally. Today it ranks #5861, 4,327 places below that high. See the whole 1925 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From harja waldaz to Harald
The story of Harald
Harald Fairhair is credited with unifying Norway in the late ninth century; Harald Bluetooth united Denmark and gave his name, a millennium later, to a wireless protocol; Harald Hardrada served in the Varangian Guard at Constantinople, claimed the Norwegian throne, and invaded England in 1066 only to be killed three weeks before Hastings. The name has been royal in Norway ever since and is borne by the current king. Its American record follows Norwegian, Danish and German migration, and the 1925 peak reflects the American-born children of the great Scandinavian arrival of the previous forty years.
Meaning
army ruler
Proto-Germanic harja, 'army, host', and waldaz, 'ruler, power' — the same second element as in Walter, Oswald and Ronald, and the first as in Herman and Harold. Old Norse compressed it to Haraldr, Old English to Hereweald and then Harold. The compound is transparent and the derivation has never been disputed.
How the name formed
- harja waldaz
- Haraldr
- Harald
Related forms: Harald · Harald · Harold · Harald · Harri
Pronouncing Harald
HAH-rahld
Two syllables, stress on the first, with both vowels fully sounded in Norwegian and German. English speakers say HAIR-uld, reducing the second syllable exactly as they do in Harold. Both are heard on American bearers.
Nicknames for Harald
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1913
- Most boys named
- 192524 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1534reached in 1925
- Change vs 2024
- +15.4%15 in 2025, from 13
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Harald in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Harald in Norwegian — same name
- Harald in Danish — same name
- Harold in English — related form
- Harald in German — same name
- Harri in Finnish — related form
Haralds among us
people named Harald are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 113,872 born in 2025 was named Harald
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Harald sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Harald beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Harald in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is transparent and expressible in two words.
- Hal and Harry are both short forms with centuries of English use.
- It has an unusually well-documented royal history across three countries.
- It will be written Harold by most Americans taking it down.
- The second vowel is fully sounded in Scandinavian and reduced in English.
- Its American curve is early-twentieth-century, which places a bearer's generation.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Harald to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Harald? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Harald
Masculine · #5861 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Haralds are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Harald are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Harald in 2025?
- Harald ranks #5861 among US boy names in 2025, with 15 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Harald?
- About 1 in every 113,872 US boys born in 2025 was named Harald — 15 in all.
- Will my child share the name Harald with classmates?
- Harald will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Harald
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eber#5861 · Wilton#5861 · Ruby#5861 · Stacy#5861 · Garner#5861 · Caldwell#5861 · Severin#5861 · Newton#5861
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Harald? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Harald and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle