Harl
Masculine
Harl is a one-syllable name from the first American records, most likely a clipped Harold or Harlan. It is also an old angler's word for the fine strands of a feather wound onto a fishing fly.
How old is the name Harl?
Harl was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Harl alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 200 people named Harl are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Harl most popular?
Harl peaked in 1880, reaching #909 nationally. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Harl
Fly-dressers call the single fibers of a feather, especially the iridescent strands of a peacock's tail, harl or herl, and wind them onto hooks to make the body of a fly. Harl, the name, most likely came from Harold or Harlan shortened in daily use. But it shares a word with the patient craft of tying flies by hand.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Harl may be Harold or Harlan clipped, and nothing records which.
Pronouncing Harl
HARL
One syllable.
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 192023 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #909reached in 1880
- Change vs 1970
- −25.0%6 in 1973, from 8
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.
Harls among us
people named Harl are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Harl sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Short and firm.
- Almost certain to be the only one.
- Easy to write.
- People will assume it is short for Harold or Harlan.
- It reads as a nineteenth-century name.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Harl
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Harls are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Harl are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Harl in 2025?
- Harl is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Harl with classmates?
- Harl will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More H names
The most-given names starting with H, all years combined.
Henry#5 · Harold#991 · Harry#775 · Howard#1002 · Hunter#130 · Herbert#2641 · Herman#2363 · Harvey#251
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Harl? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Harl and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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