Harry

Diminutive of Henry
"estate ruler"

Harry Origin and Meaning

The name Harry is a boy's name of German origin meaning "estate ruler".

Harry is the medieval English form of Henry, which derived from the Germanic name Heimrich, meaning "estate ruler." Harry was the nickname of all eight King Henrys; it is also a diminutive of Harold and Harrison.

We're just wild about Harry! Harry was everyone's elderly uncle until Princess Diana, following British royal tradition, named her son Henry but called him Harry. Then Harry Potter became a rage and Harry Styles of One Direction became the hottest boy bander of the new millennium. Thus, Harry's avuncular image was history. Harry is still much more popular in England, Ireland, and Scotland than it is in the US, but its classic yet unpretentious image makes it a recommended choice.

Harry was a Top 20 name in the US from 1880 to 1918, and continued in the Top 100 into the 1950s (hence the song "I'm Just Wild About Harry"), and has countless worthy namesakes, including Truman, Belafonte, and Houdini.

Among the celebs who have chosen this good guy name for their sons are David Letterman (it was his father's name), Simon Baker, and Billy Bob Thornton. It's also found in a number of movie titles from The Trouble with Harry to Dirty Harry to When Harry Met Sally.

# 782 in the US

Harry Rank in US Top 1000

# 320 on Nameberry

Harry Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Harry Popularity

Famous People Named Harry

  • Harry Alan Towers
    English film producer
  • Harry S. Truman
    33rd U.S. President
  • Harold Andrew "Harry" Blackmun
    U.S. Supreme Court Justice
  • Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz)
    Hungarian,American escape artist
  • Harry Mason Reid
    U.S. Senator from Nevada
  • Prince Harry (née Henry Charles Albert David)
    Duke of Sussex, a member of the British royal family
  • Harry Lewis
    YouTube personality known as Wroetoshaw
  • Harry Edward Styles
    English singer, songwriter and actor
  • Harry Frederick Harlow
    American psychologist
  • (Joseph) Harry Connick Jr.
    American singer and actor
  • Harold George "Harry" Belafonte
    American singer, actor and activist
  • Harry Robinson Hamlin
    American actor
  • Harry Laverne Anderson
    American actor
  • Harry Truman Reasoner
    American TV journalist
  • Harry Albert Atkinson
    10th Premier of New Zealand
  • Harry Foster Chapin
    American singer,songwriter
  • Harry Edward Nilsson
    American singer,songwriter
  • Harry Mark Christopher Judd
    drummer of British band McFly
  • Harry Douglas
    American NFL football player
  • Hubert August "Harry" Piel
    German actor, screenwriter, and film director
  • Harry Fleetwood Andrews
    English actor
  • Harry Mondryk
    English singer
  • Harry Lawrence Newman
    American NFL football player
  • Harry John Treadway
    English actor
  • Harry Fielding Reid
    American geophysicist
  • Harry Morgan
    American actor
  • Harry Neal Baum
    American author
  • Harry Bache Smith
    American songwriter
  • Harry Edson Browne
    American investment analyst, author and politician
  • Henry George "Harry" Chauvel
    Australian WWI general
  • George Henry Stevens "Harry" Trott
    Australian cricketer
  • Harry Danning
    American baseball player
  • Harry Surtees Altham
    English cricketer
  • Harry Lloyd
    English actor
  • Harry Gordon Selfridge Sr.
    British retail magnate
  • Harry Broad
    New Zealand author
  • Harry Shum Jr.
    Costa Rican,American actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer
  • Harry James Thornton
    son of actor Billy Bob Thornton and model Pietra Dawn Cherniak
  • Harry Letterman
    son of American comedian and TV personality David Letterman
  • Harry Friday Baker
    son of actors Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg

Harry in Pop Culture

  • Harry James Potter
    main character in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series
  • Harry Osborn
    friend of Peter Parker/Spiderman in Marvel's "Spiderman"
  • Dirty Harry Callahan
    main character in the "Dirty Harry" movies
  • Harry Burns
    main character in film "When Harry Met Sally"
  • Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch
    main character in novels by Michael Connelly and TV's "Bosch"
  • Harry Fisher
    character on TV's "Waterloo Road"
  • Harry Coleman
    character in 2003 movie "Freaky Friday"
  • Harry Bailey
    George's younger brother in movie "It's a Wonderful Life"
  • Harry Haller
    main character in Hermann Hesse's "Steppenwolf"
  • Harry Pearce
    character on TV's "Spooks"
  • Harry Paget Flashman
    main character in the "Flashman" series by George MacDonald Fraser
  • Harry Prendergast
    main character in G. A. Henty's "The Treasure of the Incas"
  • Harry
    character on TV's "7th Heaven"
  • Harry Crane
    character on TV's "Mad Men"
  • Harry Mason
    character in the "Silent Hill" video game series
  • Harry Solomon
    character on TV's "3rd Rock from the Sun"
  • Harry Dresden
    main character in "The Dresden Files" series by Jim Butcher
  • Horrible Harry
    children's book series by Suzy Kline
  • Harry Furness
    main character in G. A. Henty's "Friends Though Divided"
  • Harry Dunne
    main character in movie "Dumb and Dumber"
  • Harry "Opie" Winston
    character on TV's "Sons of Anarchy"
  • Harry Lime
    robber in the "Home Alone" movies
  • Henry "Harry" Sandwith
    main character in G. A. Henty's "In the Reign of Terror"
  • Harry Carrington
    character in "Elsie Dinsmore" series
  • Henry "Harry" Wotton
    character in "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
  • Harry "Galahad" Hart
    character from "Kingsman: The Secret Service"
  • Harry S. Truman
    character in "Twin Peaks"
  • Harry
    a character in "The Forest of Hands and Teeth," by Carrie Ryan
  • Harry
    main character in short story "The Black Mamba" by author Liam Holt
  • Harrison "Harry" Wells
    character from TV's "The Flash"
  • Harry Doyle
    character in ABC's "Quantico"
  • Bad Hat Harry
    a production company
  • Harry Sullivan
    a companion on TV’s "Doctor Who"
  • Harry Bright
    character in the "Mamma Mia!" musical and films
  • Harry Hunter
    character in the 1962 film "The Phantom of the Opera"
  • Harry Greenwood
    character on "Charmed" reboot
  • Harrier "Harry" Du Bois
    character in the video game "Disco Elysium"
  • Harry Grant
    Character on ABC's "9-1-1"