Harvard
An English surname taken from a place name meaning "hart's ford".
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the first name Harvard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Harvard today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harvard births was 1915 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harvard. 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
172
~ 1 in 1,992,758 Americans
Peak year
1915
27 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2018 SSA rank
#10,044
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Harvard: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harvard from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 138 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Harvard 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 Harvard during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Harvards live
Origin
Meaning and history of Harvard
The given name Harvard is a unique and fascinating one with a rich history that spans centuries and continents. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English language, where it is believed to have derived from the combination of two words: "hær" meaning "army" and "weard" meaning "guard" or "watchman." Thus, the name Harvard likely signified someone who guarded or protected armies or military units.
This name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 11th century, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England. One of the first documented individuals bearing this name was Harvard the Watchman, a soldier who served under King Harold II in the year 1066, just prior to the Norman Conquest of England.
As time passed, the name Harvard continued to appear sporadically in various historical records and texts, primarily within the British Isles. Notably, in the 13th century, a man named Harvard the Scribe was known for his exceptional calligraphic skills and was responsible for transcribing several important manuscripts and religious texts of the time.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Harvard the Navigator gained fame for his expertise in navigation and cartography. He was credited with mapping various trade routes and contributing to the advancement of maritime exploration during the Age of Discovery.
Moving forward to the 17th century, a notable individual named Harvard the Merchant left a lasting impact on the city of London. He was a successful trader and philanthropist who established several charitable organizations and funded the construction of hospitals and schools for the underprivileged.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of this name was John Harvard, a English minister and philanthropist who lived from 1607 to 1638. He is best known for his generous bequest to the fledgling college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which later became known as Harvard University, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world.
While the name Harvard may have fallen out of widespread use in more recent times, its rich historical significance and association with notable figures throughout the centuries make it a truly unique and fascinating given name.
People
Harvard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harvard 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
Harvard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harvard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 172 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harvard 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 1,992,758 US residents.
Is Harvard a common name?
We classify Harvard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 604 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harvard most popular?
The single biggest year for Harvard was 1915, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harvard is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Harvard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harvard 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.
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.