Harold comes from the Old English Hereweald, formed from here, army, and weald, power, and means "army ruler". King Harold II lost England to William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066, and the name was a staple of the early 20th century. In the United States Harold ranked number 538 in 2000, held around number 800 through the late 2010s and has slipped to number 993 in 2025.