The Harvey surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 115,662 people carried this name — #266 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,550 people counted. That is up 3% from 112,136 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Harvey surname
From Haerviu, name of a Breton saint, from Old Breton hoiarn (“iron”) + viu (“blazing”). In Ireland, used as an anglicisation of Irish Ó hAirmheadhaigh and Ó hEarchaidh. The civil parish in New Brunswick is probably named in honour of British colonial administrator John Harvey (1778 - 1852).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Harvey» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 54 births for the Harvey name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Dublin, Down, and Donegal.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 170 people named Harvey live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 128 people named Harvey.
62 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 15 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
121 people named Harvey live in Switzerland.
They live in 14 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
31 people named Harvey have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 114 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 10 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
159 people named Harvey are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Harvey in American newspapers,
1897–1924.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,294,497 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Harvey,
with a public archive behind them.
-
John Harvey d. 1646 · politician -
Robert Harvey d. 1816 · merchant -
John Harvey d. 1820 · plantation owner -
Harry E. Harvey d. 1966 · dentist -
Clem Harvey d. 1988 · actor
-
Cecil Harvey d. 1985 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Harvey.
- Hartman 64,106 · U.S. census
- Hartmann 11,000 · U.S. census
- Hartung 5,148 · U.S. census
- Hartweg 125 · U.S. census
- Hartz 4,153 · U.S. census
- Hartzer 162 · U.S. census
- Hary 288 · U.S. census
- Hasani 401 · U.S. census
- Hasbrouck 1,930 · U.S. census
- Hasenfratz 168 · U.S. census
- Haser 359 · U.S. census
- Hasler 1,884 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Harvey is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.