Nameling

Harlan

Gender
Boy
Say it
HAR-lan
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#503 for boys
US rank, 2025
#617 for boys

Harlan is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “hare land, or boundary land”. In 2025 it ranked 503rd for boys in the UK (85 babies) and 617th for boys in the US (454 babies).

What does Harlan mean?

English: English surname from a place name

“hare land, or boundary land”

Transferred from an English surname taken from places called Harland.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Harlan a girl's or a boy's name?

Harlan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 85 boys in the UK and 36 girls and 454 boys in the US.

How popular is Harlan in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#503among boys
Babies in 2025
85about 1 in 3,500 boys
Five-year trend
Risingup 72% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 85 boys in the UK were named Harlan, making it the 503rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 655th.

2025 had the most boys named Harlan of any year since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the boys named Harlan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2013 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 115 boys in the UK were given Harlan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #409, up from #503 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 474th in England and Wales and 762nd in Scotland.

1996Busiest: 85 in 20252025
Harlan in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202585#503
202473#583
202360#657
202271#589
202168#615
202059#655
201934#951
201834#966
201774#573
201650#753
201552#707
201434#948
201339#860
201233#979
201123#1,203
201023#1,206
200915#1,582
200823#1,171
200719#1,290
200622#1,096
20057#2,292
20049#1,831
20038#1,880
20025#2,358
20015#2,326
20003#3,146
19993#3,043
19988#1,569
19970–
19963#2,949

How popular is Harlan in the US?

Rank in 2025
#617among boys
Babies in 2025
454about 1 in 3,800 boys
Five-year trend
Risingup 33% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 454 boys in the US were named Harlan, making it the 617th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 692nd. Its busiest year was 1924, with 519 boys. 36 girls were also named Harlan in 2025 (3,974th for girls).

2025 had more boys named Harlan than any year since 1925.

Half of all the boys named Harlan in the US since 1880 were born between 1929 and 1986, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 575 boys in the US were given Harlan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #521, up from #617 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 519 in 19242025
Harlan in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025454#617
2024412#665
2023418#653
2022357#727
2021433#638
2020368#692
2019278#818
2018319#744
2017297#788
2016274#829
2015275#822
2014224#938
2013252#845
2012178#1,065
2011160#1,132
2010157#1,168
2009142#1,250
2008125#1,361
200789#1,700
200688#1,627
200569#1,850
200458#2,047
200368#1,761
200266#1,741
200163#1,773
200082#1,483
199959#1,730
199875#1,472
199753#1,787
199651#1,781
199577#1,333
199476#1,336
199363#1,467
199265#1,412
199175#1,291
199089#1,144
198957#1,447
198867#1,246
198768#1,160
198665#1,173
198572#1,093
198464#1,133
198368#1,075
198292#933
198195#920
198085#974
197989#930
197877#983
197782#937
197694#860
197594#857
197472#961
197393#825
1972115#737
1971110#775
1970139#706
1969121#709
1968141#638
1967152#608
1966146#616
1965168#587
1964194#569
1963204#554
1962237#513
1961227#526
1960234#518
1959217#535
1958245#495
1957269#472
1956253#475
1955299#420
1954272#439
1953274#423
1952317#385
1951301#388
1950273#407
1949315#379
1948320#381
1947335#375
1946335#354
1945322#332
1944281#357
1943352#326
1942356#321
1941352#309
1940301#330
1939349#297
1938379#283
1937332#296
1936400#269
1935388#275
1934393#273
1933365#276
1932437#259
1931423#265
1930425#275
1929354#296
1928435#272
1927427#273
1926407#282
1925470#262
1924519#253
1923432#270
1922387#284
1921415#273
1920331#318
1919307#317
1918321#313
1917268#332
1916294#303
1915266#319
1914211#311
1913140#349
1912101#382
191163#344
191041#421
190933#436
190831#429
190735#381
190624#456
190525#430
190431#360
190316#550
190224#415
190120#422
190019#555
189921#402
189811#662
189721#411
189612#641
189512#609
189417#480
189310#650
189212#596
18918#699
189013#533
188914#498
188814#528
18878#679
188612#540
188510#604
188414#504
18835#891
18828#691
188113#487
18808#682

Names like Harlan

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Harris Stanley Henry Franklin Leo Louie Leon Hudson Arthur Chester Sidney Reuben

Other spellings of Harlan

Harlen Harlyn Harlin Harlon

More English names

Lily Evelyn Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel

Every English name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Harlan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/harlan, updated 20 October 2026.