The baby name Harbor fits with word names we’re loving for our children now. Could it catch on?
Thanks to Caitlin for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME HARBOR MEAN?
The word harbor comes from Middle English. It originally referred to a temporary residence – like an army encampment, from the Old English term ‘herebeorg.’
By the 13th century, a harbor also referred to a naturally occurring shelter for ships along the coast.
The baby name Harbor blends elements of a nature name and a place name. After all, harbors can be man-made.
This makes it something of a nature name, though it’s been possible to artificially construct shelters for centuries – and often a port, for loading and unloading cargo from ships, is constructed within an existing harbor, adding additional safeguards.
It’s been a verb since at least the 1300s. Around the 14th century, it expanded to a general sense of refuge. A little bit later, it became possible to harbor thoughts instead of physical things, like men and boats.
Harbour is the British English spelling. Both spellings sometimes appear as surnames. (Think of Stranger Things actor David Harbour.) It was probably an occupational name for someone who operated a boarding house or an inn, from the word’s older sense.
VIRTUE VIBE
A ship at harbor is safe, protected from storms, sheltered in the calm waters. That’s why this name takes on a virtue vibe.
Virtue names aren’t new. Some, like Grace, have long histories of use. Others feel a little more obvious, tied to the Puritans, though Prudence and Mercy have both attracted interest in recent years.
But there’s a whole class of modern virtue names, and the baby name Harbor belongs in their company. Chance, Haven, and Journey have been popular in recent years, with names like Valor and Truce attracting attention, too. Most of these are at least potentially gender neutral, though use tends to divvy them up – Chance is almost certainly a boy, Haven is likely to be a girl.
PLACE NAME
Many of the world’s greatest cities have been built around a naturally occurring harbor: New York, Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Havana, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Jakarta, Genoa, Gdansk, Sydney, Saint Petersburg, Tokyo, Mumbai, Nassau, Norway’s Trondheim, Jamaica’s Kingston.
Dozens and dozens more might provide inspiration for parents.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME HARBOR?
But is anyone actually using this as a child’s name?
Yes – but it’s quite rare.
It has never appeared in the US Top 1000.
Harbor was first given to more than five children born in the United States in the year 2006. Six girls and seven boys were named Harbor.
As of 2024, 45 girls and 29 boys were named Harbor. An additional eight girls were given the spelling Harbour.
How does it comparable to other virtue-adjacent word names?
- Shelter is occasionally mentioned, but has yet to appear in US data.
- Cove was given to 167 boys and 81 girls in 2024 – a new high overall.
- 88 boys and 20 girls were named Summit.
- Spirit was given to 30 girls.
- 227 girls and 6 boys were named Essence.
The list goes on and on, often unisex but occasionally gendered.
Perhaps Harbor leans slightly feminine because of the popularity of H surnames for girls, like the very similar Harper. Though since the similar River is unisex, parents’ preferences really determine if this name is better for a girl or a boy.
One consideration: there really aren’t any obvious nicknames for Harbor. That might be a plus.
POTENTIAL POWERFUL GIVEN NAME
With ties to the natural world, a tremendous number of noteworthy places, and a virtue vibe, it’s easy to imagine bold parents embracing the baby name Harbor.
If you’re after something unexpected, meaningful, and strong, Harbor could be the perfect name for your family.
What do you think of the baby name Harbor?
First published on January 27, 2016, this post was revised on October 1, 2025.
We named our little girl Harbor, born September 2016, and we love it! It’s unique but not super weird and the definition is beautiful. I love the ocean and live on the coast so it works on that level too. People ask me why I picked that name much more often than they get her name wrong. 🙂
My granddaughter’s name is Harbor because her mother’s name is Ocean. 🙂 Harbor was born in Nov 2016 and she’s the only Harbor I know.
I LOVE THE NAME !! I have always considered it for a boy, however where we live there is a street called Harbor Blvd which is known for having “women of the night on it.” It is also the same street Disneyland is on. You can imagine people’s reaction to the name sighhh
I love the name Harbor and used it for my precious little girl born in June, 2015! Not only does it fit her perfectly, the uniqueness of the name is fantastic and her last name also has a nautical related definition. I wouldn’t change it for anything and cant think of a better name for my unique, outgoing and ‘safe’ little princess.
Now that some time has past, what has been your experience with the name? We love it but are nervous being a little different!
I am so excited you have covered this name finally – I think you suggested it in another post which I read when pregnant. I liked it as a “safe place” name, akin to Haven, and if she was a he I like with the potential nickname Harry. I subsequently had a girl and Harbour (as a middle name) was born. It’s raised a few eyebrows but I don’t care and I think she will love our reasoning someday ad it sits beautifully beside her other two names.
Thanks Abby! How problematic do you think the Harper confusion would be? This actually occurred to me two days ago. Now a days everyone has to spell out their name right? :/
Well … I think it would be a thing. I say this as the mother of a Clio. At her nursery school, the assistant director called her, “Chloe – no, I mean Clio!” for three years. And we have the same problem with lots of other people. I have an aunt (who I truly adore) who makes the same mistake. But over time, it really does fade and most people get it. You’ll need to decide – will that kind of thing make you batty? (I didn’t anticipate it, and I’m surprised that it doesn’t bother me more. But it doesn’t. But I’m not easily irritated.) If you think you can be zen about it, then no worries. Because Harbor is a great name, and after some repetition, I suspect many people will say, “Oh, that’s SUCH a great name.”
I hear you Abby! Our little boy is called Iden and we didn’t think at all about how (to some people) it would sound like Aiden. It doesn’t happen all the time but enough that I have had to correct people on occasion (or just keep referring to him as Iden until they realise). It doesn’t really bother me, but I hope it doesn’t end up being a burden for him. Once they get it, almost everyone is fine, but I do have a colleague that still refers to him as Aiden (almost 3 years later!). We still love the name but I guess it’s a risk when similar sounding names are so popular!