Harlem

Meaning: Home or settlement of a man named Harala
Origin: From Dutch, via New York's Nieuw Haarlem, named after Haarlem, Netherlands

Boy's name · #971 in the US (2025) · Trending

61% boys · 39% girls — Harlem is also given to girls: 147 in 2025, about 39% in recent years. Harlem →

Popularity over time

Harlem is moving up the charts. First recorded in 1975, it stood at #971 in 2025; about 3,400 boys have been named Harlem along the way.

In recent years, Harlem ran 4–5× its national rate in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 21 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

See how Harlem ranks in other countries and regions.

#1,735 in England & Wales (2025).

Similar names: Boden · Arlen · Lyam · Shulem · Adler · Arjan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.