Harvie
A masculine given name derived from the Old English name "Haravryd", meaning "battle counsel".
Name Census estimates that about 500 living Americans carry the first name Harvie. It is a predominantly male name (94.2% of registrations). The average person named Harvie today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harvie births was 1922 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harvie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Harvie with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
500
~ 1 in 685,509 Americans
Peak year
1922
54 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,724
Tracked since 1881
Census
Harvie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 420 people with the first name Harvie, which placed it at #23,335 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#23,335
National first-name rank
People counted
420
420 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harvie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Harvie is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Harvie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Harvie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.0% · 256
- Black or African American26.9% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 13
- Two or more races3.1% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Harvie
Harvie leans heavily male at 94.2% of total registrations, but 102 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Harvie as a male name
- Ranked #9,282 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1922 (54 births)
Harvie as a female name
- Ranked #6,724 in 2024
- 17 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (17 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Harvie leans strongly male. 335 people counted with this name were male (80.5%), compared with 81 female bearers (19.5%).
Popularity
Harvie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harvie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 455 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Harvie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Harvie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Harvies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Alabama, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Harvie, while Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Harvie
The given name Harvie has its origins in the Old English and Old High German languages, with roots dating back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Germanic word "heri," meaning army or warrior, and the diminutive suffix "-ie," signifying a small or endearing form. This combination suggests a name associated with a brave or courageous individual.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Harvie can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. It documented a landowner named Harvie in the county of Wiltshire, England. This historical reference provides evidence of the name's usage during the medieval period in Britain.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Harvie. In the 16th century, Harvie Nailler (1520-1587) was a renowned Scottish poet and playwright, best known for his works that satirized the political and religious landscape of his time. Another prominent figure was Harvie Wilkins (1888-1958), an Australian explorer and aviator who conducted pioneering expeditions in Antarctica and contributed significantly to the mapping of the continent.
During the 18th century, Harvie Leitch (1713-1778) was a Scottish minister and educator who played a crucial role in the development of education in the Highlands region of Scotland. He established several schools and advocated for the use of the Gaelic language in teaching.
In more recent times, Harvie Branscomb (1892-1998) was an American educator and librarian who made significant contributions to the field of library science. He served as the director of the University of North Carolina Library and played a pivotal role in the development of library standards and practices.
Another notable individual was Harvie Wilkinson III (1919-2011), a highly respected American jurist who served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was known for his fair and impartial rulings and his commitment to upholding the principles of justice.
These historical figures demonstrate the widespread use and recognition of the name Harvie across various fields, including literature, exploration, education, library science, and law. While the name may have evolved over time, its origins and associations with bravery and endearment have persisted, making it a unique and meaningful choice for individuals throughout history.
People
Harvie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harvie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Harvie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harvie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 500 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harvie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 685,509 US residents.
Is Harvie a common name?
We classify Harvie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,748 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harvie most popular?
The single biggest year for Harvie was 1922, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harvie is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Harvie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 420 people with the name Harvie, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,335 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Harvie in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Harvie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Harvie leans strongly male. 335 people counted with this name were male (80.5%), compared with 81 female bearers (19.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Harvie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Harvie is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Harvie most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Harvie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (256 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Harvie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Harvie a male name?
Yes, 94.2% of people registered as Harvie in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Harvie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Harvie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Harvie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Harvie?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Harvie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.