Find out how popular the first name Harvey has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Harvey by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Harvey is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Harvey being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 1,022 male babies and 26 female babies born with the name Harvey.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 26 baby girls were named Harvey in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Harvey

The name Harvey has its origins in the Old French name Hervé or Hurvé, which was derived from the Germanic name Herwi or Heruui. The name Herwi is thought to be composed of the elements "heru," meaning army, and "wic," meaning fight or battle. Thus, the name Harvey likely conveyed a meaning of "battle-worthy" or "soldier" in its earliest origins.

The name likely emerged in the late 8th or early 9th century among the Franks and spread throughout regions of modern-day France, Belgium, and parts of Germany. It gained popularity in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman names were introduced to the region.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Harvey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Hervei, Hervi, and Heruui.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Harvey. One of the earliest was Harvey of Battlesden (c. 1100-1179), an English cleric and Judge who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1154 to 1162. Another early figure was Harvey de Gillingsmiss (fl. 1230), an English landowner and Sheriff of Wiltshire in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name gained further prominence with the physician William Harvey (1578-1657), who is credited with describing the circulation of blood in the body. His groundbreaking work, published in 1628, laid the foundations for modern cardiovascular science.

Other notable individuals with the name Harvey include the English philosopher and physician William Harvey (1610-1683), and the American actor and comedian Harvey Korman (1927-2008), best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show.

More recently, the name has been associated with the American playwright and screenwriter Harvey Fierstein (born 1954), who won Tony Awards for his plays Torch Song Trilogy and La Cage aux Folles.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Harvey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Harvey, please contact us.

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