Harland

Where Harland comes from

Harland hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1882
    First appearance
    #754 among boys, 7 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1890
    Harland Sanders born
    American entrepreneur (1890-1980) who founded KFC
  3. 1918
    Peak, #474
    155 babies named Harland — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1936
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #714.
  5. 1962
    Harland Williams born
    Canadian actor
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Harland Sanders · American entrepreneur (1890-1980) who founded KFC, 1890–1980
  • Harland Williams · Canadian actor, born 1962
  • Harland Goff Wood · biochemist, 1907–1991
  • Harland Svare · American football player and coach, 1930–2020
  • Harland Braun · American lawyer, born 1942

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.