Harle
An Old English name derived from the word "hare" meaning "army" or "warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Harle. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Harle today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harle births was 1925 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harle. 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 Harle is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Harles were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Harle. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1925
5 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1950 SSA rank
#3,895
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Harle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harle from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 5 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
Harle 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 Harle 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 Harle
The name Harle has its origins in Old English, derived from the word "hær" meaning "army" or "warrior". It was a common name among the Anglo-Saxons, particularly in the regions of modern-day England and parts of Scotland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 7th century CE, appearing in the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Harle was a popular name among the nobility and warrior class of the Anglo-Saxon period. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Harle of Mercia, a nobleman and military commander who fought alongside King Offa in the late 8th century. Another notable figure was Harle the Huscarl, a member of King Harold's personal guard who perished in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name Harle continued to be used, albeit with varying spellings such as Harley, Harlee, and Harli. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Harle de Brampton, a 13th-century English poet and composer known for his religious works and carols.
In the 14th century, a Harle of Northumberland was recorded as a knight and landowner, serving under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure from this period was Harle the Black, a renowned longbowman who fought in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
As the centuries passed, the name gradually fell out of favor in England, but it continued to be used in Scotland and parts of Northern England. One of the last recorded instances of the name Harle was in the late 16th century, referring to a Scottish soldier who fought in the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
Other historical figures bearing the name Harle include Harle of Lindisfarne, a 7th-century monk and scholar known for his illuminated manuscripts, and Harle the Bard, a 12th-century Welsh poet and storyteller whose works were instrumental in preserving the Welsh language and culture.
People
Harle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harle 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
Harle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harle 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Harle a common name?
We classify Harle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harle most popular?
The single biggest year for Harle was 1925, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harle is about 88 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 Harle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Harle a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harle 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 Harle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Harle 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 Harle 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 Harle as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.