Harold
Meaning: Its source is here weald, an Old English name meaning "Army commander."
Origin: "here weald."
Languages: This boy's name is used in English and Hungarian.
Variant Forms: Haroldson
Feminine Forms: Haralda
Popularity: The name Harold ranked 559th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 44th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.
Narrative: The names Harold and Walter are derived from the same two name elements, in opposite order. (That is, here weald became Harold and weald here became Walter.)
Dorothea and Theodora are another pair of names related in this way. Both mean ''God's gift'' or ''Gift of God,'' depending on which way you look at them.
Arts and Music
- Harold Arlen (born 1905, died 1986)
American songwriter.
- Wrote ''''Stormy Weather,'''' ''''Over the Rainbow,'''' and ''''That Old Black Magic'''' (see list of Songwriters)
- Harold Gray (born 1894, died 1968)
American cartoonist.
- Little Orphan Annie (see list of Cartoonists)
- Harold Lloyd Jenkins
- Conway Twitty (see list of Nicknames of Musicians)
Leadership
- Harold H. Burton (born 1888, died 1964)
American jurist and politican.
- U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1945-58 (see list of U.S. Supreme Court Justices)
- J. Harold Chandler
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Provident Cos. (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Harold Godwinson (born 1022, died 1066)
King of the English (Jan. 6 - Oct. 14, 1066).
- Last King of the Anglo-Saxons, he succeeded Edward the Confessor only to be killed by an arrow a few months later in the Battle of Hastings (see list of British Monarchs)
- Harold Harefoot (died 1040)
King of the English, 1035-40.
- Illegitimate son of Canute who claimed the crown over Canute''s legitimate son, Hardecanute (see list of British Monarchs)
- Harold S. Hook
- CEO of Fortune 500 company American General (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Harold R. DeMoss, Jr.
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, Fifth Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
- Harold A. Wagner
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Air Products & Chemicals (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
Science and Philosophy
- Harold E. Edgerton (born 19103, died 1990)
American electrical engineer and photographer who devoloped strobe photography.
- 1973 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Harold W. Kroto (born 1939)
British chemist. Co-discoverer of fullerenes -- ball-shaped carbon molecules.
- 1996 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, with Robert F. Curl, Jr. and Richard E. Smalley (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Harold Marston Morse
American mathematician.
- 1964 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Harold C. Urey (born 1893, died 1981)
American chemist who discovered deuterium (heavy hydrogen).
- 1934 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- 1964 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Harold E. Varmus (born 1939)
American virologist known for his work on the origins of cancer.
- 1989 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine, with J. Michael Bishop (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
Sports
- Harold Abrahams
British athlete.
- 1924 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 100m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in the 100 Meter Sprint)
- Harold Allen
- Member of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)
- W. Harold Anderson
American basketball coach.
- Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984 (see list of Basketball Hall of Fame)
- Harold Asplund
- Member of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)
- Harold Connolly
American athlete.
- 1956 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for Hammer (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Field Events)
- Harold ''Red'' Grange
- Elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as charter member (see list of Professional Football Hall of Fame)
- Harold ''Hal''' Greer
American basketball player.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981 (see list of Basketball Hall of Fame)
- Harold H. Hilton
- 1892, 1897 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Harold Horiuchi
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1988 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Harold Johnson (born 1928)
American light heavyweight boxer.
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Modern inductees)
- Harold S. Mahoney
- 1896 Wimbledon tennis champion (see list of Wimbledon Tennis Champions)
- Harold Osborn
American athlete.
- 1924 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for the High Jump (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in the High Jump)
- 1924 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for the Decathlon (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Decathlon/Heptathlon/Pentathlon)
- Harold ''Pee Wee'' Reese (died 1999)
- Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 (see list of Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame)
- Harold ''Red'' Rowland
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1981 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Harold Smith
American athlete.
- 1932 Olympic gold medal winner for Platform Diving (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Platform Diving)
- Harold Joseph ''Pie'' Traynor
American baseball player.
- Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1948 (see list of Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame)
- Harold Whitlock
British athlete.
- 1936 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 50km Walk (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)
Stage and Screen
- Harold Gould (born 1923)
American actor.
- Portrayed Miles Webber (see list of Actors on ''The Golden Girls'')
- Old Weird Harold
Fictional character.
- From ''''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'''' (see list of Cartoon characters)
- Harold Lloyd (born 1893, died 1971)
American actor and comedian; the highest-paid star of the 1920s.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Harold Nicholas (born 1921)
American tap dancer.
- 1991 Kennedy Center Honors recipient, with his brother Fayard (see list of Kennedy Center Honors Recipients)
- Harold Peary (born 1908, died 1985)
American actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio (see list of Radio Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Harold Prince (born 1928)
American theatrical director.
- 1994 Kennedy Center Honors recipient (see list of Kennedy Center Honors Recipients)
- Harold Robbins (born 1916)
American novelist.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Harold Russell (born 1914)
Canadian actor.
- 1946 Academy Award winner for his performance in The Best Years of Our Lives (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Supporting Actor)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
The Literary World
- Harold Allison
Fictional character.
- New husband of Margaret White''s mother in Stephen King''s novel Carrie (see list of Characters in Carrie)
- Harold V. ''Hal'' Boyle
- 1945 Pulitzer Prize winner for Correspondence (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence)
- Harold L. Davis (born 1896, died 1960)
American novelist.
- 1936 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction, for Honey in the Horn (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
- Harold Gardener
Fictional character.
- One of Dave Gardner''s four sons in Stephen King''s novel It (see list of Characters in It)
- Harold Jackson
- 1991 Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Writing (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing)
- Harold Keith
- 1958 Newbery Medal winner, for Rifles for Watie (see list of Newbery Medal Winners)
- Harold Lauder
Fictional character.
- Amy''s brother, who tries to kill off the Ad Hoc Committee, in Stephen King''s novel The Stand (see list of Characters in The Stand)
- Harold A. Littledale
- 1918 Pulitzer Prize winner for Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Reporting)
- Harold Eugene Martin
- 1970 Pulitzer Prize winner for Investigative Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting)
- Harold Metcalf
Fictional character.
- Derry School''s superintendent in Stephen King''s novel It (see list of Characters in It)
- Harold Pinter (born 1930)
English playwright.
- Wrote The Dumb Waiter (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Harold Rauberson
Fictional character.
- Died from leukemia in Stephen King''s novel Salem''s Lot (see list of Characters in Salem's Lot)
- Harold C. Schonberg
- 1971 Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Barrel
- Hair Ball
Associations:
In British slang, a ''flash Harry'' is a flashy, showy or boastful person.
In British slang, ''Harold'' means to pick a lock. The term is now outdated.
In Australian slang, trousers or underwear are called ''Harolds.''
In British slang, if you are ''Harry-starkers,'' you are naked.
In British slang, the prefix, ''Harry -'' is used by schoolboys to add familiarity to a term.
A good-natured nickname for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve is ''Harry Tate's Navy.''
''Harry'' is a British slang term for heroin.
Meaning: Its source is here weald, an Old English name meaning "Commander."
Origin: "here weald."
Popularity: The name Harold ranked 3508th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
This name is usually reserved for males. In part, it may owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.
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