Baby Name of the Day: Harmony

The baby name Harmony blends musical style with a certain virtuous vibe.

Thanks to Jane for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME HARMONY MEAN?

The baby name Harmony is borrowed from the dictionary.

To be in harmony is to agree. 

In music, harmony refers to a pleasing combination of sounds. It’s a music theory concept, but we all know it when we hear it. 

Latin borrowed the Greek word harmonia. There’s also a goddess in Greek mythology called Harmonia, a goddess of peace and concord. 

The goddess’ story varies slightly, but the goddess of harmony makes this more of a given name and less of a vocabulary choice. 

HARMONY IN MUSIC

Back to music for a minute. 

From the Beatles’ “She Loves You” to Mumford & Sons’ “I Will Wait,” harmony is something we all recognize. It adds complexity and depth to even simple songs. 

Harmony is one of the reasons we love a cappella.

SURNAME HARMON

Also worth noting: while Harmony is not a common surname, Harmon is.

It comes from Herman. Herman, in turn, was one of many names from Germanic elements brought to England by the Normans.

If the surname is on your family tree – or even Herman or another similar choice – it might inspire a girl’s name.

FICTIONAL CHARACTERS NAMED A HARMONY

A very long list of fictional characters have answered to Harmony:

• High school singing series Glee had a Harmony
• So did Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, on Cartoon Network
• The Young and the Restless made Harmony a soap opera name
• A minor character in Toy Story 4 answers to the name
• Perhaps among the more influential characters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and spin-off Angel included a cheerleader-turned-vampire named Harmony, sometimes called Harm for short

That’s a lot of pop culture currency for the baby name Harmony. Did it translate into popularity?

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME HARMONY?

While the Greek Harmonia has never appeared in the US Top 1000, the baby name Harmony has slowly entered the mainstream of American baby names.

Harmony debuted in the US Social Security Administration data in the year 1915. To appear in the data, a name must be given to five or more children of one gender. In 1915, five girls received the name.

But it remained very rare, slowly gaining in use during the 1960s. That’s probably why Harmony sometimes has a hippie name vibe. 

In 1971, Three Dog Night scored a hit with “An Old Fashioned Love Song.” They lyrics reference “three part harmony.” While that doesn’t feel like the reason the baby name Harmony increased in use during the 1970s, it suggests that the word was in the zeitgeist. 

The popularity of the name Harmony increased dramatically during the decade, and in 1975, Harmony debuted in the US Top 1000. 

It’s become a popular choice since then, peaking around 2019.

As of 2024, the baby name Harmony ranks #264.

MEANINGFUL and MUSICAL

The first name Harmony blends just the right amount of history, meaning, and pop culture reference to make it feel like a stylish, current choice. It fits in nicely with so many three-syllable girl names ending with Y or IE, too, from Emily to Avery.

While the name would’ve been virtually unknown in the 19th century, it slowly became a fixture, the forerunner of names like Aria and Lyric today. 

In fact, the meaning of the name Harmony has shifted to something more obviously musical.

If you’re after something that threads the needle between musical word name and virtue name choice, the first name Harmony might be exactly what you’re after.

What do you think of the baby name Harmony?