Harold

• Origin: Germanic
• Gender: Male

The name is derived from the Proto-Germanic Harjawaldaz, composed of elements meaning “army” and “powerful, mighty,” hence “military power” or “army ruler.”

In England, the name was used by the Anglo-Saxons in the form Hereweald, while the Norse had the form of Haraldr. The name was borne by two kings of England, Harold Harefoot and Harold Godwinson, the latter of whom was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Scandinavian form was likewise royal, being borne by five kings of Norway and three kings of Denmark. The name largely died out in England following the Norman Conquest, but was revived in the 19th century in the modern form Harold.

Harold has appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Male Names since records began in 1880. It ranked among the Top 100 between 1884 and 1966, peaking at #12 in 1915 and again in 1920–21. As of 2025, it was the 991st most popular male name in the United States.

Harold experienced similar popularity throughout the Anglophone world during the first half of the 20th century. It appeared in the Top 100 in Canada between 1920 and 1964, England & Wales between 1944 and 1955, Scotland between 1935 and 1952, Australia between 1952 and 1953, and New Zealand between 1900 and 1947. In England & Wales, it later reappeared in the Top 1000 in 1996, but remained near the bottom of the rankings until 2017, reaching #906 that year.

Harold also appeared in the French Top 500 between 1915 and 1993, though it never reached the Top 100. In France, its usage was concentrated primarily in Normandy.

Interestingly, Harold shares its etymological roots with the English word herald, which ultimately derives from a related Germanic formation referring to an army commander.

Other forms include:

• Chariovalda (Ancient Germanic)
• Hereweald (Anglo-Saxon)
• Harto, Hartti, Harttu, Haaraltti (Finnish)
• Haroud, Haroult (French)
• Harald (German, Scandinavian)
• Aaralaat (Greenalandic)
• Haraldur (Icelandic)
• Aroldo, Eroldo (Italian)
• Haralds (Latvian)
• Haraldas, Haroldas (Lithuanian)
• Arioald (Lombardic)
• Hariwald (Old High German)
• Haraldr (Old Norse)
• Arald, Arild (Norwegian)
• Haroldo (Portuguese, Spanish)

A popular English short form is Harry.

Notable bearers include British actor Harold Lloyd (1893–1971), one of the most successful stars of the silent-film era; British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1894–1986); Nobel Prize-winning English playwright Harold Pinter (1930–2008); and American composer Harold Arlen (1905–1986), best known for composing the music for The Wizard of Oz, including “Over the Rainbow.” Other notable bearers include American actor Harold Ramis (1944–2014), known for Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, and American politician Harold Stassen (1907–2001), a former governor of Minnesota who became famous for his numerous campaigns for the U.S. presidency.

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/harold
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_(given_name)
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold
• https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald
• https://www.etymonline.com/word/Harold?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. “Harold”. In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Harold.//dmnes.org/name/Harold