Boy · #241 in 2026

Harvey

Name: Popularity of the name Harvey in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Harvey, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#241

Peak Rank

#50 (1921)

Total Babies

129K

5-Yr Trend

+63%

1897

First Year

2026

Last Year

1926

Peak Year

#1483

Peak Rank

903

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Harvey

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Harvey

Harvey first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 344 babies given the name that year. 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). In total, more than 129K Harveys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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.

Harvie
Hari
Harv
Harve
Havi
Harveys
Haare
Larvae
Carvey
Marvy
Jarvie
Jarvi

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Harvey

What does the name Harvey mean?

How popular is Harvey in 2026?

In 2026, Harvey ranks #241 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,471 babies given the name that year.

When was Harvey most popular?

Harvey reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #50 that year with 2,287 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Harvey most popular?

Harvey has historically been most popular in Delaware, Idaho, Wisconsin. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Harvey.

Is Harvey a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Harvey is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Harvey?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Harvey include Edgar, Clyde, Leroy. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.