Harles
A contracted form of English masculine names starting with "Har".
Name Census estimates that about 101 living Americans carry the first name Harles. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Harles today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harles births was 1921 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harles. 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.
People living today
101
~ 1 in 3,393,607 Americans
Peak year
1921
15 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1988 SSA rank
#5,393
Tracked since 1917
Census
Harles in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 118 people with the first name Harles, which placed it at #50,661 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#50,661
National first-name rank
People counted
118
118 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
66.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harles
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Harles is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (11.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Harles described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Harles at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 78
- Black or African American16.1% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino11.0% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Popularity
Harles: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harles from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 54 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Harles remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Harles 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 Harles 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 Harles
The name Harles is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins rooted in the ancient Germanic languages. It is believed to have emerged from the Proto-Germanic word "hariz," meaning "army" or "warrior." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals who displayed exceptional bravery or military prowess.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the name, such as "Harliz" and "Harlez," were found in various Germanic regions, including present-day Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of Scandinavia. The name's popularity spread as it was carried by influential figures and families across these areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Harles can be traced back to the 9th century, when a nobleman named Harles von Saxony was mentioned in the annals of the Carolingian Empire. This historical reference highlights the name's longevity and its presence among the European nobility of that era.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Harles. In the 12th century, Harles the Scribe was a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts in the French monastery of Cluny. His exquisite works are still celebrated for their artistic beauty and intricate details.
During the Renaissance period, Harles Monteverdi (1567-1643), an Italian composer, emerged as a pioneering figure in the development of opera and instrumental music. His innovative compositions, such as the groundbreaking "L'Orfeo," have left an indelible mark on the history of Western classical music.
In the realm of literature, Harles Dickens (1812-1870), the renowned English novelist, is perhaps one of the most famous bearers of the name. His iconic works, including "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations," have captivated readers across generations and cultures, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest storytellers of all time.
Another notable figure was Harles Darwin (1809-1882), the English naturalist whose theory of evolution through natural selection revolutionized the understanding of life on Earth. His groundbreaking work, "On the Origin of Species," challenged long-held beliefs and paved the way for modern scientific thought.
While the name Harles may not be as common today as it once was, its rich historical lineage and the accomplishments of those who have borne it serve as a testament to its enduring significance and the diverse paths that its bearers have taken throughout the ages.
People
Harles + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harles 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
Harles: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harles?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 101 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harles 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 3,393,607 US residents.
Is Harles a common name?
We classify Harles as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 221 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harles most popular?
The single biggest year for Harles was 1921, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harles is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Harles in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 118 people with the name Harles, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,661 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Harles in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Harles?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Harles leans strongly male. 111 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 2 female bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Harles?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Harles is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (11.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Harles most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Harles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (78 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Harles in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Harles a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harles 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 Harles still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Harles 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 Harles 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.
How many people share the name Harles?
Find out how many people share the name Harles on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.