Harald is a Nordic masculine given name of Old Norse origin. It is derived from the Old Norse elements 'hari' meaning "army" and 'Arr' which means "power", thus the name means "powerful in battle". The name was borne by several notable figures in Scandinavian history, including Harald Bluetooth, who unified Denmark and Norway around 950 AD, and Harald Hardrada, the last Norse king of Norway. This name is still popular in Nordic countries today.
The name Harald has a varied history of usage in the United States, with fluctuations in popularity over the years. Between 1913 and 2023, there were a total of 779 babies named Harald born in the U.S.
The name's most popular decade was the 1960s, during which 84 babies were given the name Harald, with peaks in 1966, 1967, and 1968 (23 births each year). However, the majority of these births occurred between 1957 and 1967.
From the 1970s onwards, there was a significant decrease in the number of babies named Harald. There were only five births in total during the 1970s (one in 1978 and four in 1980). This pattern continued into the 1980s with six births (one in 1981, one in 1987, and four in 2014).
More recently, there has been a slight resurgence in the name's usage. There were nine births in total between 2016 and 2023, including seven in 2017 and 2018 combined, indicating that Harald may be experiencing renewed interest as a baby name.
Despite these fluctuations in popularity, it is clear that the name Harald has had a consistent, albeit modest, presence in the United States over the past century.