NameChart

Harvey

Boy name

Harvey has been given to 128,792 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1921 and currently ranks #251 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ˈhɑːvi/

From Haerviu, name of a Breton saint, from Old Breton hoiarn (“iron”) + viu (“blazing”). Cognate with modern Breton Haerviu. In Ireland, used as an anglicisation of Irish Ó hAirmheadhaigh and Ó hEarchaidh. The civil parish in New Brunswick is probably named in honour of British colonial administrator John Harvey (1778 - 1852).

Origin: Celtic languages

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

05721.144k1.715k2.287k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

128,792

Peak year

1921 (2,294 babies)

Rank in 2025

#251 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +99%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Harvey

Harvey Keitel

American actor

Harvey Milk

American politician and gay rights activist (1930–1978)

Harvey Weinstein

American film producer and sex offender (born 1952)

Harvey J. Alter

American medical researcher

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Harvey.

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