Girl's name
Harlow
Say it HAR-loh
Old English origin rock
2 syllables
Where Harlow is loved, common and rare
Common in South Australia. Rare in Canada, the UK and Ireland.
1 in 688 girls born in Scotland in 2025
British Columbia 121stScotland 157thOntario 257th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 7 of the 40 official lists, among them British Columbia (121st), Scotland (157th) and Ontario (257th).
Show all 7 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Australia state | 84th 2025 | 19 | rank only |
| British Columbia province | 121st 2023 | 24 | about 1 in 498 |
| Scotland | 157th 2025 | 26 | 1 in 688 |
| Ontario province | 257th 2024 | 48 | about 1 in 1,135 |
| England and Wales | 325th 2025 | 133 | 1 in 1,904 |
| Northern Ireland | 334th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 1,822 |
| Ireland | 544th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 3,521 |
Rare, below the listed names: Quebec, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Sources: SA Attorney-General's Department, Births, Deaths and Marriages (data.sa.gov.au) (South Australia); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland). How we count, and every source
About the name
Harlow comes from Old English: hær, 'rock', or here, 'army', combined with hlæw, 'hill'. It began as a place name and surname before becoming a first name.
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Two syllables, said HAR-loh, with the stress on the first. It has no common spelling variants.
It is mainly used in Australia, Canada and Scotland, with its best position in South Australia, inside the top 90, and moderate use in British Columbia and Scotland. It is sometimes given to boys, though about nine in ten are girls. Canadian records show it peaking in 2022, and it is now slipping in several regions, which suggests its fastest growth has passed.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- HAR-loh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
rock
- Origin
- Old English
Etymology
From Old English hær (“rock”) or here (“army”) + hlæw (“hill”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 2 of 7 regions, falling in 5.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 299 | 288 | 235 | 258 | 182 | 142 | 149 | 169 | 231 | 325 |
| Scotland | 210 | 229 | 167 | 123 | 123 | 86 | 69 | 95 | 160 | 157 |
| Northern Ireland | 353 | 200 | 158 | 206 | 152 | 178 | 288 | 334 | ||
| Ireland | 515 | 734 | 387 | 362 | 336 | 251 | 266 | 226 | 275 | 544 |
| Ontario | 224 | 241 | 288 | 181 | 220 | 155 | 146 | 304 | 257 | |
| British Columbia | 200 | 121 | 179 | 105 | 106 | 142 | 111 | 121 | ||
| New South Wales | 97 | 97 | 81 | 82 | ||||||
| Victoria | 96 | 99 | 97 | 83 | 88 | |||||
| Queensland | 77 | 79 | 83 | 72 | 72 | 48 | 84 | |||
| South Australia | 107 | 71 | 65 | 94 | 86 | 53 | 92 | 84 | ||
| New Zealand | 86 | 66 | 73 | 86 | 79 | |||||
| Quebec | 915 | 883 | ||||||||
| France | 3591 | 3608 | 3650 |
England and Wales, 2008 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 325 | 133 | 52.5 |
| 2024 | 231 | 207 | 80.2 |
| 2023 | 169 | 305 | 118.9 |
| 2022 | 149 | 329 | 124.9 |
| 2021 | 142 | 354 | 129.2 |
| 2020 | 182 | 273 | 101.7 |
| 2019 | 258 | 187 | 66.8 |
| 2018 | 235 | 214 | 74.2 |
| 2017 | 288 | 170 | 56.8 |
| 2016 | 299 | 166 | 54.0 |
| 2015 | 421 | 105 | 34.1 |
| 2014 | 494 | 86 | 28.0 |
| 2013 | 639 | 64 | 20.7 |
| 2012 | 647 | 64 | 19.9 |
| 2011 | 1117 | 30 | 9.3 |
| 2010 | 1218 | 26 | 8.1 |
| 2009 | 1248 | 24 | 7.7 |
| 2008 | 3860 | 5 | 1.6 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Harlow in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2018. First recorded in 2008. Her peak year there: 2022, at 152.2 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Harlow per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2022 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Harlow
1 in 1,689 in England and Wales
1 in 1,224 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 383 in Northern Ireland
1 in 700 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 716 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 542 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 365 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 949 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 215 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Harlow.
1 in 338 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harlow.
Middle names for Harlow
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Harlow Grace
2-1 beats · initials HG
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Harlow Olivia
2-4 beats · initials HO · Harlow slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Harlow slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Harlow Sophia
2-3 beats · initials HS
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Harlow Maria
2-3 beats · initials HM
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Harlow Rose
2-1 beats · initials HR
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Harlow Emily
2-3 beats · initials HE · Harlow slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Harlow slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Harlow Julia
2-3 beats · initials HJ
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Harlow Miriam
2-3 beats · initials HM
Changes the beat after Harlow: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Harlow
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 215 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 203 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 542 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 106 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 338 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 138 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 131 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
1 in 142 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Harlow across countries and decades.
Questions about Harlow
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Harlow?
Her best rank is No. 84 in South Australia in 2025. She is in the published lists of 7 of our 40 regions.
What does Harlow mean?
Wiktionary glosses Harlow as "rock".
How do you pronounce Harlow?
HAR-loh, with 2 syllables.
Is Harlow getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 2 of 7 regions, falling in 5.
Which sister names go with Harlow?
The deck's top five sisters for Harlow: Everly, Paisley, Lilah, Wren and Ariella. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.