David vs Harry
David and Harrycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #104 and Harry #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2018, David was ranked #97 and Harry #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Harry #20 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Harry #25 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Harry #31 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2020, David was ranked #84 and Harry #39 among boys in New Zealand.
Norway · Boys
In 2019, David was ranked #67 and Harry #431 among boys in Norway.
David and Harry over time
David and Harry appear together in 6 published lists, across 211 years of shared records. Harry held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, David in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Harry in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Harry moved into the top 50 at #44 in 2002 as David fell out of it to #52, having been #42 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2002, Harry moved ahead of David in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #42 and #48 the year before became #52 and #44.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, David and Harry averaged 45.0 places apart, ending at #64 and #20.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Harry were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 46 years, from 1945 to 2019, ending at #67 and #431.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys57 shared years, 1965–2025
David held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Harry in 16.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1985, Harry #6 in 2018.
The order changed in 2010: Harry moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #25 and #28; by 2010 that had become #25 and #20.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Harry #25.
Norway · Boys46 shared years, 1945–2019
David held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Harry in 16.
Highest recorded here: David #61 in 1991, Harry #69 in 1946.
The order changed in 1962: David moved ahead. In 1961 they stood at #137 and #124; by 1962 that had become #125 and #128.
Most recent shared year, 2019: David #67, Harry #431.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Harry in 29.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Harry #1 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Harry #20.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
David held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Harry in 20.
Highest recorded here: David #9 in 1997, Harry #4 in 2012.
The order changed in 2005: Harry moved ahead. In 2004 they stood at #19 and #38; by 2005 that had become #34 and #32.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #104, Harry #13.
New Zealand · Boys27 shared years, 1994–2020
David held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Harry in 17.
Highest recorded here: David #20 in 1994, Harry #22 in 2018.
The order changed in 2004: Harry moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #49 and #50; by 2004 that had become #51 and #37.
Most recent shared year, 2020: David #84, Harry #39.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys24 shared years, 1992–2018
David held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Harry in 15.
Highest recorded here: David #16 in 1992, Harry #15 in 2018.
The order changed in 2002: Harry moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #42 and #48; by 2002 that had become #52 and #44.
Most recent shared year, 2018: David #97, Harry #15.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | David | Harry |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | A diminutive/pet form, inheriting its meaning from Henry — 'home ruler' — and functioning, in modern times, as a nickname for both Henry and names beginning with 'Har-'. During the Middle Ages in England, Henry was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /ˈhæri/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Harry is recorded with a English, medieval form/diminutive of Henry origin.
- David and Harry both have 2 syllables.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Harry's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Harry
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #70 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in England and Wales, in 2011 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #39 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys