The first name Harlan
A boy’s name from English meaning “grey”, “hare”, “land”.
2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English origin
Harlan means “grey”, “hare”, “land” in English.
American contraction of Harland, from Old English har (“grey”) / hara (“hare”) + land (“land”).
More names that mean earth.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 82 boys were named Harlan, making it the 474th most popular boys’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Harlan with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Harlan at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 454 boys born in the United States were named Harlan, the 617th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1924, when 519 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Harlan
14 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Harlan EllisonAmerican writer (1934–2018)
- Harlan CobenAmerican writer, born 1962
- Harlan F. StoneChief justice of the United States from 1941 to 1946
- Harlan MathewsAmerican politician (1927–2014)
- John Harlan KimAustralian actor, born 1993
- Harlan MarbleyBoxer (1943–2008)
- Harlan HowardAmerican country music songwriter (1927–2002)
- Harlan LeonardAmerican musician (1905–1983)
- Harlan J. BushfieldAmerican politician (1882-1948)
- Harlan BriggsAmerican actor (1879-1952)
- Harlan WardeAmerican actor (1917-1980)
- Harlan HagenAmerican politician (1914-1990)
More English boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Harlan mean?
- Harlan means “grey”, “hare”, “land” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Harlan?
- American contraction of Harland, from Old English har (“grey”) / hara (“hare”) + land (“land”).
- How popular is the name Harlan?
- In 2025, 82 boys born in England and Wales were named Harlan, ranking 474th.
- Is Harlan a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 98% of the 26,980 US babies named Harlan since 1880 were boys.
- When was Harlan most popular?
- 1924 in the United States, when 519 babies were named Harlan, its highest rank at 253rd.
- Is Harlan also a surname?
- Yes. Harlan is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.