Harlow
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- HAR-loh
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #298 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #309 for girls
Harlow is a name of English origin, meaning “army hill”. In 2025 it ranked 298th for girls in the UK (163 babies) and 309th for girls in the US (981 babies).
What does Harlow mean?
English: from the town of Harlow in Essex
“army hill”
The 1930s film star Jean Harlow took her stage surname from her mother's maiden name.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Harlow a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Harlow has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 163 girls and 102 boys in the UK and 981 girls and 167 boys in the US.
How popular is Harlow in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 298th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 163 about 1 in 1,700 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 163 girls in the UK were named Harlow, making it the 298th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 171st. Its busiest year was 2021, with 415 girls. 102 boys were also named Harlow in 2025 (436th for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Harlow than any year since 2015.
Half of all the girls named Harlow in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 178 girls in the UK were given Harlow or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #285, up from #298 for this spelling alone.
In 2008, 45% of the babies named Harlow in the UK were girls. By 2025 it was 62%, with more girls than boys since 2009.
Among girls in 2025, it was 325th in England and Wales, 157th in Scotland and 334th in Northern Ireland.
Harlow in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 163 | #298 |
| 2024 | 238 | #222 |
| 2023 | 360 | #159 |
| 2022 | 403 | #144 |
| 2021 | 415 | #138 |
| 2020 | 323 | #171 |
| 2019 | 235 | #227 |
| 2018 | 241 | #233 |
| 2017 | 189 | #289 |
| 2016 | 191 | #289 |
| 2015 | 121 | #418 |
| 2014 | 102 | #473 |
| 2013 | 70 | #642 |
| 2012 | 74 | #627 |
| 2011 | 35 | #1,069 |
| 2010 | 29 | #1,200 |
| 2009 | 25 | #1,285 |
| 2008 | 5 | #4,065 |
How popular is Harlow in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 309th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 981 about 1 in 1,600 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 981 girls in the US were named Harlow, making it the 309th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 324th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 1,278 girls. It first appears in the records in 2002. 167 boys were also named Harlow in 2025 (1,212th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Harlow than any year since 2020.
Half of all the girls named Harlow in the US since 1880 were born between 2015 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,144 girls in the US were given Harlow or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #293, up from #309 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 85% of the babies named Harlow in the US were girls.
Harlow in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 981 | #309 |
| 2024 | 1,083 | #293 |
| 2023 | 1,273 | #238 |
| 2022 | 1,199 | #263 |
| 2021 | 1,278 | #237 |
| 2020 | 959 | #324 |
| 2019 | 1,009 | #316 |
| 2018 | 863 | #366 |
| 2017 | 798 | #390 |
| 2016 | 786 | #420 |
| 2015 | 759 | #422 |
| 2014 | 611 | #509 |
| 2013 | 545 | #546 |
| 2012 | 507 | #579 |
| 2011 | 465 | #623 |
| 2010 | 354 | #776 |
| 2009 | 301 | #904 |
| 2008 | 133 | #1,677 |
| 2007 | 28 | #5,095 |
| 2006 | 15 | #7,865 |
| 2005 | 11 | #9,447 |
| 2004 | 12 | #8,711 |
| 2003 | 10 | #9,666 |
| 2002 | 6 | #13,589 |
Names like Harlow
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Willow, Harper, Lyra, Isla, Mila, Myla, Freya, Poppy, Ember, Scarlett, Indie, Ivy
Other spellings of Harlow
Names related to Harlow
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Grace, Violet, Daisy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie, Hazel, Carter, Harrison, River
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, “Harlow: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/harlow, updated 20 October 2026.