Harvey
Harvey is an English and Scottish family and given name derived from the Old Breton personal name Huiarnviu, derived from the elements hoiarn, huiarn meaning "iron" and viu meaning "blazing". An alternative elemental derivation has been theorized in which origination is from haer + vy meaning "battle/carnage worthy". It is related to Old Welsh Haarnbiu.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Harvey
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Harvey is an English and Scottish family and given name derived from the Old Breton personal name Huiarnviu, derived from the elements hoiarn, huiarn meaning "iron" and viu meaning "blazing". An alternative elemental derivation has been theorized in which origination is from haer + vy meaning "battle/carnage worthy". It is related to Old Welsh Haarnbiu.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Harvey
American parents first put Harvey on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 344 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 2,287 Harveys were born — ranking #87 that year. As of 2026, Harvey ranks #241 for baby boys with 1,471 births, rising sharply (+63% over the past five years). All told, over 129K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Harvey
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Harvey. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Harvey
Phonetically similar names — useful when Harvey is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Harvey
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About the name Harvey
Harvey is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 129K births in the dataset. Harvey's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #50. Use the chart and map above to compare Harvey's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "H" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.