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At a Glance: Name: Harvey – Meaning: roughly 'iron' and 'blazing' or 'vigorous', from the name of a Breton saint – Origin: Breton (via Old French/English surname) – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: HAR-vee
Harvey is a boy's name with Breton roots, arriving in English by way of an Old French surname. You'll often see it glossed online as meaning 'battle worthy,' but that's not what the sourced etymology shows — Wiktionary traces it instead to Breton words for 'iron' and 'blazing' or 'vigorous,' tied to the name of a Breton saint. Say it HAR-vee (IPA /ˈhɑːrvi/), and you're using a name with roots stretching back centuries.
Meaning & Origin of Harvey
Meaning: Roughly 'iron' and 'blazing' or 'vigorous', from the name of a breton saint.
Origin: Breton (via Old French/English surname).
A common claim: "Battle worthy" Actually: Harvey is almost universally glossed as 'battle worthy' on baby-name sites, but its etymology points instead to Breton words meaning roughly 'iron' and 'blazing' or 'vigorous,' from the name of a Breton saint.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Harvey
Phonetic: HAR-vee IPA: /ˈhɑːrvi/
Popularity of Harvey
Harvey hit its highest popularity in 1880, ranking #51 with 344 babies given the name that year. By 2024, it had settled at #244 with 1,441 babies, based on Social Security data spanning 1880 to 2024.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Harvey Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Harvey, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Harvey mean?
Roughly ‘iron’ and ‘blazing’ or ‘vigorous’, from the name of a breton saint. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Harvey)
How do you pronounce Harvey?
Harvey is pronounced HAR-vee (IPA: /ˈhɑːrvi/).
Is Harvey a popular name right now?
Harvey peaked at #51 in 1880 and is ranked #244 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Harvey? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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