Thirty years of Harvey
Harvey in numbers
Harvey peaked in 2005 with 2,431 boys and has fallen since, to 372 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2001 and 2004, from 964 to 2,416. It ranked 113th in 1996, reached 27th in 2005 and ranks 138th now. On average it was given to 544 boys a year in the late 1990s, 1,892 in the 2000s, 1,184 in the 2010s and 514 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-20%465 to 372
- 5 years-44%662 to 372
- 10 years-69%1,190 to 372
- 20 years-85%2,431 to 372
- Since 1996-7%401 to 372
- Total, 1996 to 202536,020boys
† 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 138 · ONS · 465 in 2024
Rank 174 · NRS · 30 in 2024
Rank 185 · NISRA · 14 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 | =138 | 372 | -20% | 1 in 808 |
| 2024 | =114 | 465 | +4% | 1 in 656 |
| 2023 | =114 | 448 | -13% | 1 in 676 |
| 2022 | 109 | 512 | -18% | 1 in 607 |
| 2021 | 95 | 627 | -5% | 1 in 511 |
| 2020 | 86 | 662 | -14% | 1 in 475 |
| 2019 | 78 | 769 | -1% | 1 in 428 |
| 2018 | 78 | 779 | -18% | 1 in 433 |
| 2017 | 66 | 951 | -14% | 1 in 366 |
| 2016 * | 54 | 1,102 | -7% | 1 in 323 |
| 2015 | 50 | 1,190 | -3% | 1 in 301 |
| 2014 | 48 | 1,228 | -4% | 1 in 291 |
| 2013 | 48 | 1,276 | -12% | 1 in 281 |
| 2012 | 48 | 1,456 | +5% | 1 in 257 |
| 2011 | 52 | 1,388 | -18% | 1 in 267 |
| 2010 | 47 | 1,698 | -18% | 1 in 218 |
| 2009 | 39 | 2,077 | -5% | 1 in 174 |
| 2008 | 34 | 2,195 | +0% | 1 in 165 |
| 2007 | 29 | 2,189 | -6% | 1 in 162 |
| 2006 | 28 | 2,325 | -4% | 1 in 147 |
| 2005 | 27 | 2,431 | +1% | 1 in 136 |
| 2004 | 32 | 2,416 | +15% | 1 in 136 |
| 2003 | 36 | 2,104 | +43% | 1 in 151 |
| 2002 | 45 | 1,468 | +52% | 1 in 208 |
| 2001 | 61 | 964 | +28% | 1 in 316 |
| 2000 | 71 | 753 | +17% | 1 in 411 |
| 1999 | 84 | 644 | +8% | 1 in 496 |
| 1998 | 91 | 596 | +12% | 1 in 547 |
| 1997 | 100 | 534 | +33% | 1 in 617 |
| 1996 | 113 | 401 | 1 in 832 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. 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 Harvey
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Harvey 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