Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Harry

Say it HAIR-ee 2 syllables

English · “home + king”

Common across the UK, Sweden, Ireland, and 5 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

1 in 92 boys born in Northern Ireland in 2025. Number 13 there.

Harry in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 10, rare in 19.
Harry in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales19 (down)20251,7181 in 15882020
Scotland31 (down)20251201 in 164242020
Northern Ireland13 (down)2025901 in 9292020
Ireland25 (down)20251831 in 13092020
North America
Ontario (province)445 (up)202428about 1 in 2,1384512019
Quebec (province)163 (up)202536about 1 in 8071832020
British Columbia (province)493 (down)20236about 1 in 2,1691882018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)39 (down)2025163302020
Victoria (state)232025198232020
Queensland (state)35 (up)2025125362020
South Australia (state)24 (down)202547212020
New Zealand44 (down)202575392020
Western Europe
France333 (up)20251501 in 2,0183522020
Netherlands868 (up)202513about 1 in 5,1188692020
Central Europe
Austria1,241 (down)202521 in 19,0349612020
Switzerland668 (up)2025101 in 3,6008342020
Berlin (city)316 (up)202310about 1 in 1,5516762018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list20234082018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)389 (new in the list)20251about 1 in 2,876Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list20252122020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Sweden30 (down)2025301about 1 in 143112020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy1,066 (new in the list)202471 in 27,051Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland705 (new in the list)202521 in 63,202Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as הארי)699 (down)20249about 1 in 9,4555422019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Harry is how medieval English speakers said the French Henri, so at root it is the same name as Henry, built from Germanic words for "home" and "king". It has also served as a pet form of Henry or Harold, though many boys today are simply given Harry as their full name.

2 more paragraphs

HAIR-ee has two syllables and a relaxed, friendly sound. Hal is the traditional short form, and the wider family includes Henry, Henri, Hendrik, Heinz and Enric, with Harris among its variants.

Harry remains well used in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, Victoria and Sweden, sitting inside the top 30 in each. Its movement is mixed, a little more often falling than rising. In Canada it was a name of the 1920s, and most Canadian Harrys were born around the middle of the last century.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
HAIR-ee · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“home + king”
Origin
English, Old French, and Germanic
Related names
Henri, Henry, Eric, Henryk, Harald, Eirik, Eryk, Harris, Andrin, Henrik, Erik, Ari, Hal, Hendrik, Heinz, Henrih, Henrich, Enric, Garri, Harold, Hynek, Erich, Harri, Hein
Where Harry comes from (Wiktionary)

Medieval English spoken form of Old French Henri, i.e. of Henry (Proto-Germanic *Haimariks, "home" + "king"). Also a diminutive of Henry or Harold.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Harry. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Harry over time

Rising in 2 of the 16 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 5. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 1927.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Harry in England and Wales: #17 in 1996, a peak of #1 in 2011, and #19 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #17, 4,434 boys1997: #17, 4,631 boys1998: #15, 4,761 boys1999: #14, 4,914 boys2000: #6, 6,070 boys2001: #6, 5,662 boys2002: #11, 4,551 boys2003: #11, 4,644 boys2004: #11, 4,704 boys2005: #9, 4,638 boys2006: #5, 5,639 boys2007: #5, 5,851 boys2008: #4, 6,008 boys2009: #3, 6,143 boys2010: #3, 6,862 boys2011: #1, 7,523 boys2012: #1, 7,168 boys2013: #3, 5,888 boys2014: #3, 5,379 boys2015: #3, 5,308 boys2016: #2, 5,284 boys2017: #2, 5,031 boys2018: #3, 4,512 boys2019: #5, 3,823 boys2020: #8, 3,209 boys2021: #7, 3,089 boys2022: #15, 2,403 boys2023: #21, 1,799 boys2024: #20, 1,765 boys2025: #19, 1,718 boys#17 in 1996peak #1, 2011#19in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996174,434
1997174,631
1998154,761
1999144,914
200066,070
200165,662
2002114,551
2003114,644
2004114,704
200594,638
200655,639
200755,851
200846,008
200936,143
201036,862
201117,523
201217,168
201335,888
201435,379
201535,308
201625,284
201725,031
201834,512
201953,823
202083,209
202173,089
2022152,403
2023211,799
2024201,765
2025191,718

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Harry in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1947. Peak: 1927, about 853 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 778.7 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 630 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 492.4 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 372.6 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 319.1 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 255.9 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 196.7 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 129.7 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 94.6 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 55.3 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 37 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 31.6 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 28.7 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 28.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 26.6 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 29.6 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 38.4 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 35.4 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 49.4 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 41.6 per 100,000 boys20201925-1929: about 1 in 128 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–1929778.7
1930–1934630
1935–1939492.4
1940–1944372.6
1945–1949319.1
1950–1954255.9
1955–1959196.7
1960–1964129.7
1965–196994.6
1970–197455.3
1975–197937
1980–198431.6
1985–198928.7
1990–199428.4
1995–199926.6
2000–200429.6
2005–200938.4
2010–201435.4
2015–201949.4
2020–202441.6

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Harry

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Harry, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 110, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 622, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 285, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Ireland

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 207, Northern Ireland

  9. 1 in 731, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 145, Ireland

All 40 brother names for Harry

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Harry's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Harry Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials H.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Harry

Sisters for Harry: Bonnie, Olive, Evelyn, and 5 more
  1. BonnieRose and fell with Harry · English, like Harry
  2. OliveRose and fell with Harry · Same generation as Harry
  3. EvelynRose and fell with Harry · As common as Harry
  4. EleanorRose and fell with Harry · Same generation as Harry
  5. ElsieRose and fell with Harry · As common as Harry
  6. DaisyRose and fell with Harry · As common as Harry
  7. IvyRose and fell with Harry · As common as Harry
  8. RubyRose and fell with Harry · As common as Harry

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Harry

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Harry's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 11 more places.

  3. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  5. Common across France, England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

  6. Common across the UK, Sweden, Austria, and 10 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

  8. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

Famous people named Harry

Harry S. Truman, Harry Kane, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Harry

How popular is Harry in Northern Ireland?

Harry ranked #13 in Northern Ireland in 2025, given to 90 boys, about 1 in 92.

Is Harry rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 2 of the 16 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 5. Rising in: Berlin and Switzerland.

What does Harry mean?

Harry means “home + king”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Harry have?

Harry has 2 syllables: HAIR-ee.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

0kept

Kept names collect here.

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