Harriet is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Harriet means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Harriet across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Harriet has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Harriet is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “home ruler”. a feminine form of Henry.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 90,427 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 24,728 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 773 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 197 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 382 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 576 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Harriet per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1921 (2,395/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2016 (1,132/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2019 (40/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2018 (20/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2019 (20/yr).
Harriet has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1921, when it ranked #199 nationally (given to 2,395 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1920s.
Harriett · Harriette · Hardie · Harrietta · Harryette · Hart · Harriot · Hardee
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