Harold

Harold meaning

Harold is a Christian boy's name of Old Norse origin (via English).

Army commander: Proto-Germanic *harja-waldaz

Also used to mean: army ruler, leader

Harold reached English from the Old Norse name Haraldr. The Online Etymology Dictionary traces it to Proto-Germanic *harja-waldaz, "army commander": the first part is the old Germanic word for an army, seen in Old English here, and the second is related to Old English wealdan, "to rule". The English word herald comes from the same pair of roots. The name is remembered through Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, who was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In India it is found mainly in older Anglo-Indian, Goan and Mangalorean Christian families.

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), s.v. Harold · entry Harold · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Harold · Britannica, Harold II

Famous namesakes

• Harold II, last Anglo-Saxon king of England

Popularity abroad

• #993 United States, boys 2025 (down 4 from 989 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Harold · Harald

Related names

Also meaning leader

Also starting with Har-

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