Harold

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The name Harold derives from the Old English name Hereweald, which was a combination of "here" meaning "army" and "weald" meaning "ruler," "power" or "control." Additionally, Harald was introduced by the Scandinavians. Harald is a combination of the German "harja" meaning "army" and "wald" meaning "rule." The Irish form of Harold is Aralt, while Arailt and Haral are Scottish Gaelic forms of the name.

King Harold I of England, who ruled in the 11th century, was nicknamed Harold Harefoot. King Harold II, who also ruled England in the 11th century, died in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings when he was shot in the eye with an arrow. The name Harold lost popularity in the early Middle Ages; however, it regained popularity in the 19th century.

The name Harald belonged to three Kings of Denmark and five Kings of Norway.

POPULARITY

According to the 1990 United States Census, Harold ranked as the 44th most popular male first name, the 3,508th most popular female first name and and the 5,670th most popular last name. The name has ranked in the Top 1,000 most popular names in the United States every decade since 1880.

In the 21st century, the name Harold has maintained a ranking in the Top 1,000 most popular boy's names each year from 2000 to 2006. However, the popularity of the name seems to be slightly on the decline.

United States Popularity of the Name Harold in the 21st Century.

• Year: 2006 Rank:652nd
  
• Year: 2005 Rank:633rd
  
• Year: 2004 Rank:616th
  
• Year: 2003 Rank:595th
  
• Year: 2002 Rank:579th
  
• Year: 2001 Rank:546th
  
• Year: 2000 Rank:520th
  

FACTS

• March 25th is celebrated by the Catholic Church in honor of St. Harold.
  
• October 24th is celebrated in Slovakia in honor of the name Harold.
  

NAMESAKES

• "Harold and Maude" was a 1971 movie which was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards.
  
• "When Harry Met Sally" was a 1989 movie which was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) for "Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen."
  
• "Harry" is a song by the music group Bauhaus.
  
• "Harry Braff" is a song by the band The Bee Gees.
  
• "Dirty Harry" was a 1971 film starring Clint Eastwood.
  

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Harold Hitz Burton - United States Supreme Court Justice (1945 - 1958).
  
• Harold W. Kroto - Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry in 1996.
  
• Harold Holt - Politician and former Prime Minister of Australia.
  
• Harold Clayton Urey - Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry in 1934.
  
• Harold Allen Ramis - American writer, actor and director of films.
  
• Harold E. Varmus - Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine in 1989.
  
• Harold Kellems - A member of the International Clown Hall of Fame member (2002 inductee).
  
• Gale Morgan Harold - Actor who received notoriety on the Showtime series "Queer as Folk."
  
• Harold Pinter - An English playwright.
  

NOTES

OTHER HAROLD'S

Harold Brooks, Harold Kennedy, Harold Solomon, Harold Smith, Harold Johnson, Harold Williams, Harold Jones, Harold Brown, Harold Davis, Harold Miller, Harold Wilson, Harold Moore, Harold Taylor, Harold Aalbu, Harold Aamodt, Harold Aardal, Harold Aardema, Harold Aardsma, Harold Aasland, Harold Aavang, Harold Abadilla, Harold Abalos, Harold Abbas, Harold Abbott, Harold Abbuhl, Harold Abdullah, Harold Abegglen, Harold Abele, Harold Abeles, Harold Abell, Harold Abellira, Harold Abelman, Harold Abeln, Harold Abels, Harold Abent, Harold Abroff, Harold Adducci, Harold Addy, Harold Ainscough, Harold Aitken, Harold Alford, Harold Alleyne, Harold Alligoog, Harold Allin, Harold Andreu, Harold Andrew, Harold Angell, Harold Angelle, Harold Angus, Harold Ani, More results

Author: Rich Kachold