Nameling

Harriet

Gender
Girl
Say it
HA-ree-et
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#62 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,071 for girls

Vintage revivalClassic

Harriet is a girls' name of Germanic origin, meaning “home ruler”. In 2025 it ranked 62nd for girls in the UK (798 babies) and 1,071st for girls in the US (226 babies).

What does Harriet mean?

Germanic: English form of French Henriette, feminine of Henry

“home ruler”

Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and then led many others to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

More on Wiktionary.

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

Harriet is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 798 girls in the UK and 226 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Harriet in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#62among girls
Babies in 2025
798about 1 in 350 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 29% in five years
Same name in a class
3.9%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 798 girls in the UK were named Harriet, making it the 62nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 63rd. Its busiest year was 2018, with 1,179 girls.

Half of all the girls named Harriet in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2018. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 854 girls in the UK were given Harriet or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #66.

Among girls in 2025, it was 59th in England and Wales, 140th in Scotland and 177th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#78), 1994 (#54), 2004 (#77), 2014 (#61) and 2024 (#68).

1996Busiest: 1,179 in 20182025
Harriet in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025798#62
2024708#73
2023764#69
2022808#68
2021841#72
2020920#63
20191,081#55
20181,179#51
20171,106#56
20161,165#59
20151,131#61
20141,049#65
20131,024#66
2012926#74
2011830#86
2010716#92
2009707#92
2008767#88
2007847#80
2006740#85
2005721#84
2004670#86
2003647#90
2002727#80
2001744#79
2000809#72
1999859#71
1998950#66
19971,019#63
19961,058#61

How popular is Harriet in the US?

Rank in 2025
#1,071among girls
Babies in 2025
226about 1 in 7,100 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 12% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 226 girls in the US were named Harriet, making it the 1,071st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,074th. Its busiest year was 1921, with 2,389 girls.

Half of all the girls named Harriet in the US since 1880 were born between 1917 and 1943, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 255 girls in the US were given Harriet or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #920, up from #1,071 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 2,389 in 19212025
Harriet in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025226#1,071
2024210#1,149
2023215#1,129
2022218#1,129
2021239#1,056
2020230#1,074
2019261#988
2018248#1,039
2017211#1,165
2016175#1,353
2015182#1,307
2014132#1,624
2013129#1,646
201289#2,132
201187#2,173
201056#3,009
200955#3,087
200836#4,267
200761#2,930
200661#2,850
200544#3,400
200431#4,383
200343#3,343
200238#3,519
200143#3,194
200037#3,522
199934#3,566
199846#2,843
199730#3,713
199635#3,297
199536#3,147
199430#3,610
199327#3,872
199242#2,825
199130#3,534
199035#3,151
198942#2,652
198831#3,160
198738#2,610
198641#2,419
198546#2,221
198440#2,381
198347#2,096
198261#1,786
198150#2,061
198057#1,886
197947#2,112
197860#1,729
197766#1,609
197660#1,638
197576#1,381
197497#1,165
197375#1,339
197292#1,169
1971109#1,098
1970169#819
1969154#832
1968145#846
1967227#635
1966207#675
1965290#559
1964278#595
1963351#518
1962387#492
1961434#468
1960470#451
1959513#418
1958512#411
1957559#386
1956590#360
1955693#327
1954721#314
1953801#293
1952882#270
1951924#251
1950934#246
19491,102#225
19481,116#219
19471,324#201
19461,299#190
19451,175#176
19441,263#169
19431,444#165
19421,443#162
19411,396#158
19401,363#157
19391,390#156
19381,375#158
19371,421#153
19361,332#154
19351,294#157
19341,280#156
19331,236#152
19321,351#149
19311,415#143
19301,598#138
19291,697#135
19281,785#133
19271,965#132
19261,986#133
19252,067#131
19242,189#128
19232,198#122
19222,237#117
19212,389#114
19202,360#112
19192,168#113
19182,345#106
19172,203#104
19162,067#106
19151,849#112
19141,455#111
19131,039#125
19121,043#113
1911792#115
1910637#126
1909527#135
1908548#126
1907477#138
1906497#127
1905413#144
1904448#132
1903416#134
1902399#140
1901414#123
1900461#134
1899431#113
1898491#110
1897383#128
1896437#110
1895435#113
1894411#114
1893428#105
1892402#111
1891354#111
1890399#102
1889397#99
1888389#99
1887342#94
1886341#99
1885342#89
1884339#91
1883341#82
1882289#90
1881270#85
1880319#73

Nicknames for Harriet

Names like Harriet

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

Alice Lottie Matilda Ada Rosie Eleanor Ottilie Hazel Violet Elsie Millie Annie

Other spellings of Harriet

Harriett Harriette

More Germanic names

Amelia Liam Henry Charlotte William Archie Charlie Emma Freddie Ella Harry Albie Louie Miles Myles Charles

Every Germanic 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, “Harriet: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/harriet, updated 20 October 2026.