Harald

Did you know?

A few things about Harald you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Harald

Harald zur Hausen

German virologist and professor emeritus (1936–2023)

Choose Harald and your child shares a first name with Harald zur Hausen, a German virologist and professor emeritus. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Harald, like who?” Harald zur Hausen's Wikipedia article is available in 69 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Harald zur Hausen on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Kuebi = Armin Kuebelbeck, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 113,636 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Harald, 15 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Harald would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryHarald first shows up in US birth records in 1913, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 112 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1925, when it ranked #1,534. Today it's #5,861, so it could be due a comeback.
• 💬MeaningIn Old Norse, Harald means “army ruler”. Our records link it to English and Scandinavian roots.

About the name Harald

Harald is a boy name of English and Scandinavian origin meaning “army ruler”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with H and ending in “-ald”. US birth records list Harald for boys from 1913 to 2025, in 69 of those 113 years. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked #1,534 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #5,861, with 15 babies.

Origin:English namesScandinavian names