Thirty years of Harriet
Harriet in numbers
Harriet has held steady for thirty years: never fewer than 645 girls a year and never more than 1,132. Its biggest three-year fall came between 2018 and 2021, from 1,128 to 810. It ranked 60th in 1996, reached 45th in 2018 and ranks 59th now. On average it was given to 959 girls a year in the late 1990s, 725 in the 2000s, 986 in the 2010s and 767 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Harriett (37), Heart (3). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Harriet.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+13%667 to 757
- 5 years-14%882 to 757
- 10 years-30%1,089 to 757
- 20 years+6%711 to 757
- Since 1996-28%1,046 to 757
- Total, 1996 to 202525,538girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 59 · ONS · 667 in 2024
Rank 140 · NRS · 28 in 2024
Rank 177 · NISRA · 13 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | =59 | 757 | +13% | 1 in 376 |
| 2024 | 68 | 667 | -8% | 1 in 434 |
| 2023 | 62 | 723 | -5% | 1 in 398 |
| 2022 | 65 | 764 | -6% | 1 in 386 |
| 2021 | 63 | 810 | -8% | 1 in 376 |
| 2020 | 55 | 882 | -14% | 1 in 340 |
| 2019 | 49 | 1,021 | -9% | 1 in 305 |
| 2018 | 45 | 1,128 | +7% | 1 in 283 |
| 2017 | 51 | 1,053 | -7% | 1 in 314 |
| 2016 | =49 | 1,132 | +4% | 1 in 300 |
| 2015 | 56 | 1,089 | +7% | 1 in 312 |
| 2014 | 61 | 1,016 | +1% | 1 in 333 |
| 2013 * | 61 | 1,001 | +11% | 1 in 341 |
| 2012 | 67 | 904 | +12% | 1 in 393 |
| 2011 | 71 | 809 | +15% | 1 in 436 |
| 2010 | 86 | 702 | +2% | 1 in 502 |
| 2009 | 89 | 690 | -8% | 1 in 499 |
| 2008 | 82 | 749 | -9% | 1 in 462 |
| 2007 | =73 | 821 | +14% | 1 in 409 |
| 2006 | 82 | 720 | +1% | 1 in 454 |
| 2005 | 73 | 711 | +8% | 1 in 443 |
| 2004 | =77 | 657 | +2% | 1 in 474 |
| 2003 | 79 | 645 | -10% | 1 in 470 |
| 2002 | 73 | 718 | -2% | 1 in 404 |
| 2001 | 70 | 733 | -8% | 1 in 396 |
| 2000 | =62 | 801 | -5% | 1 in 368 |
| 1999 | 59 | 845 | -10% | 1 in 358 |
| 1998 | 56 | 944 | -6% | n/a |
| 1997 | 59 | 1,000 | -4% | 1 in 314 |
| 1996 | 60 | 1,046 | 1 in 302 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Harriet
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Harriet is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate