Name meaning & stats
Harald
Harald means “army ruler” (Old English origin). 443 US babies since 1940, peak 1968. Notable Haralds are 2.0× over-represented as professors.
What it means
“army ruler”
Old EnglishSpelling of Harold
Harold around the world
- Гарольд · Russian
- Гарольд · Ukrainian
- هارولد · Arabic
- הארולד · Hebrew
- ハロルド · Japanese
- 哈羅德 · Chinese
- 해럴드 · Korean
- Harald · Swedish
- Éric · French
- Èric · Catalan
Famous Harolds
- Harold Pinter · British playwright (1930–2008)
- Harold Macmillan · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963
- Harold Wilson · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1964-1970 and 1974-1976 (191
- Harold Urey · American physical chemist (1893-1981)
Harold’s name day
- November 1 · France
In US birth records
Peak year: 1968
443 US babies were named Harald between 1940 and 2025.
Harald around the world
- Norway: 12,332 babies since 1945, peak 1945, No. 109 in 2025
- Sweden: 1,026 babies since 1998, peak 2022, No. 172 in 2022
- Belgium: 28 babies since 1995, peak 2021, No. 1,288 in 2025
- France: 375 babies since 1900, peak 2025, No. 2,070 in 2025
- England & Wales: 32 babies since 1996, peak 2024, No. 4,975 in 2025
From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.
Where Haralds end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Professor | 2.0× | High · 175 people |
| Politician | 0.8× | High · 136 people |
| Footballer | 0.6× | High · 93 people |
| Writer | 1.2× | High · 86 people |
Among notable men who are professors, Haralds show up 2.0× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
One more thing…
Haralds are 2.4× more likely than expected to be doctors.
The surprise career: High confidence · 60 notable people.
Other spellings
1 in 503 Harolds spell it Harald
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 1968)