| Harold | Wyatt | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Army ruler | Brave in war |
| Origin | old english | old english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HAIR-uld | WY-ut |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1924 (14,149) | 2017 (9,727) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 6,480 |
| Trend | Vintage | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Harold | Wyatt |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,434 | 42,814 |
| 2010s | 2,748 | 87,745 |
| 2000s | 3,472 | 51,347 |
| 1990s | 5,518 | 17,936 |
| 1980s | 9,183 | 2,803 |
| 1970s | 17,587 | 1,626 |
| 1960s | 36,744 | 765 |
| 1950s | 62,183 | 1,254 |
| 1940s | 82,176 | 472 |
| 1930s | 95,467 | 377 |
| 1920s | 133,585 | 515 |
| 1910s | 79,721 | 434 |
| 1900s | 12,795 | 114 |
| 1890s | 7,018 | 127 |
| 1880s | 2,001 | 123 |
From Old English 'here' (army) and 'weald' (ruler, power), 'ruler of the army'; cognate with Old Norse Haraldr. Borne by Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
From the Old English personal name Wigheard, combining 'wig' (war) and 'heard' (hardy, brave), hence 'brave in war'. Later also a medieval diminutive of Guy/William.
Wyatt is more popular than Harold today: about 6,480 US babies were given the name Wyatt in 2025, compared with 0 named Harold.
Harold means Army ruler (old english origin), while Wyatt means Brave in war (old english origin).
In US records, Harold first appears in 0 and Wyatt in 1880, so Harold has the longer recorded history.