Harriel
A feminine name of English origin referring to a home ruler.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Harriel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Harriel today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harriel births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harriel. 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 Harriel is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Harriels were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Harriel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1946 SSA rank
#3,727
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Harriel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harriel from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, 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
Harriel 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 Harriel 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 Harriel
Harriel is an ancient given name with roots tracing back to the early medieval period in parts of Western Europe. The name is believed to have originated from the Germanic languages, potentially derived from a combination of the words "hari" meaning army or warrior, and "hild" or "hel" meaning battle or combat. This suggests the name may have held connotations of one who fought bravely in battles or wars.
One of the earliest known references to the name Harriel can be found in the Annales Cambriae, a chronicle recording events from Welsh history dating back to the 10th century AD. In this text, there is mention of a "Harriel filius Ridualth" who lived in the region of Gwynedd in northwestern Wales during the late 9th or early 10th century.
The name also appears in several medieval records and manuscripts from various parts of Europe, though the spellings often varied. For instance, there is a "Harryelus de Vyrly" listed in the Domesday Book, a manuscript recording landowners in England in 1086 AD shortly after the Norman conquest. Similar variations like "Harryhel", "Harrihel", and "Harryell" can be found in other legal documents and records from England, France, and Germany during the 11th to 13th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals of note to bear the name was Harriel of Ferrara, an Italian monk and scholar who lived from around 1150 to 1220 AD. He was known for his writings on theology and philosophy that influenced Christian thought during the High Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, there was a Harriel de Montfort who served as a knight and military commander for King Edward III of England during the Hundred Years' War with France. Records indicate he fought in several key battles between 1337 and 1360.
Another notable figure was Harriel Hawkins, an English explorer and privateer who lived from around 1535 to 1595. He embarked on several voyages to the West Indies and was involved in raids against Spanish ships and settlements in the Caribbean during the time of Queen Elizabeth I's reign.
The name saw limited use over the following centuries, though a few individuals of minor historical significance can be identified. These include Harriel Thompson (1688-1753), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas, and Harriel von Kleist (1805-1892), a Prussian military officer and writer who published works on military strategy and tactics.
People
Harriel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harriel 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
Harriel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harriel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harriel 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 Harriel a common name?
We classify Harriel 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 Harriel most popular?
The single biggest year for Harriel was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harriel is about 81 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 Harriel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Harriel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harriel 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 Harriel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Harriel 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 Harriel 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 common is the name Harriel?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Harriel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.