Harlan
Harlan is ranked 666th among boys in 2024 (411 births). Its best rank was 253rd, in 1924.
- Rank in 2024
- #666down 14 from 2023
- Births in 2024
- 4110.02% of boys
- Peak year
- 1924519 births
- Best rank
- #253in 1924
- Since 1880
- 26,026people given the name
The story in the numbers
26,026 boys have been named Harlan in the United States since 1880, according to Social Security records. The busiest single year was 1924, with 519 births.
This is a comeback. After an early peak the name fell to a fraction of its former share, and it has been climbing again for the past decade.
Half of everyone given the name was born by 1947, and the 1920s alone account for 16%. It has spent 115 of 145 years in the top 1,000.
Rank among boys, year by year
By decade
| Decade | boys named Harlan | |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 106 | |
| 1890s | 137 | |
| 1900s | 258 | |
| 1910s | 2,012 | |
| 1920s | 4,177 | |
| 1930s | 3,891 | |
| 1940s | 3,269 | |
| 1950s | 2,720 | |
| 1960s | 1,824 | |
| 1970s | 965 | |
| 1980s | 733 | |
| 1990s | 683 | |
| 2000s | 850 | |
| 2010s | 2,414 | |
| 2020s | 1,987 |
In 1924, its biggest year
Harlan was the 253rd most given boy’s name that year. The top five boys’ names of 1924 were Robert, John, William, James and Charles. See all of 1924.
Names that rose and fell with Harlan
Same sex, most similar popularity curve over 145 years, in five-year steps — the shape of the line, not the size.
- Ardenpeak 2024
- Rolandpeak 1924
- Jackpeak 1927
- Lylepeak 1922
- Leeroypeak 1927
- Harlinpeak 1924
- Mervinpeak 1920
- Eldenpeak 1922
Other spellings in the data
What this page does not tell you. The Social Security data records how many babies were given a name, not what the name means or where it comes from — so neither do we. Counts cover people with a Social Security number; names given to fewer than five babies in a year are withheld. More on the data.