Hareld
A masculine Scandinavian name meaning "army ruler" or "battle leader".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Hareld. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hareld today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hareld births was 1921 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hareld. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Hareld is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Harelds were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hareld. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1921
6 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1937 SSA rank
#3,748
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Hareld: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hareld from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hareld by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hareld during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hareld
The name Hareld has its roots in the Germanic languages, with its earliest known origins traced back to the 8th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "har," meaning "army" or "warrior," and "ald," meaning "old" or "venerable." Thus, the name Hareld was initially associated with the concept of a seasoned or respected warrior.
In the ancient Norse sagas and chronicles, there are several mentions of individuals bearing the name Hareld. One notable example is Hareld Ögmundsson, a 10th-century Icelandic chieftain and poet, renowned for his contributions to the poetic traditions of the time.
The name Hareld also found its way into medieval literature and historical accounts. In the 12th century, a Frankish knight named Hareld de Montfort is recorded as having participated in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard the Lionheart.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hareld gained some prominence in certain parts of Europe. Hareld van Buren, a Dutch painter born in 1573, was celebrated for his exquisite still-life compositions and portraits of the aristocracy.
In the 18th century, Hareld Knudsen, a Norwegian explorer and cartographer, made significant contributions to the mapping of the Arctic regions and the exploration of Greenland.
Throughout the 19th century, the name Hareld saw occasional usage, with notable individuals such as Hareld Bjornson, a Norwegian novelist and playwright born in 1832, and Hareld Grierson, a British philologist and linguist born in 1851, who specialized in the study of ancient Indian languages.
While the name Hareld has not been as widely popular as some other names of Germanic origin, it has maintained a distinct presence throughout history, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from literature and the arts to exploration and academia.
People
Hareld + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hareld as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hareld: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hareld?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hareld going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Hareld a common name?
We classify Hareld as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hareld most popular?
The single biggest year for Hareld was 1921, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hareld is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hareld in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hareld a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hareld in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hareld still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hareld in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hareld can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Hareld as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.