Harold (given name)

Harold is a personal name derived from the Old English name Hereweald, derived from the Germanic elements here "army" and weald "power, leader, ruler".^[1] The Old Norse cognate, Haraldr, was also common among settlers in the Danelaw. Diminutives of Harold are Harry, Hank and Hal. The Old High German form is Heriwald or Heriold, from hari "army" and wald- "rule". The Germanic name is recorded very early, as the name of Cariovalda (for Proto-Germanic *harja-waldaz), a king of the Batavi in Tacitus (1st century), and later (7th century), as Arioald, as the name of a king of the Lombards,^[2] and in the 10th century as the name of Harald Bluetooth, as runic haraltr (ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ) in the Jelling stone inscription.

Medieval

• Hagrold (fl. 944–954), also known as Harold, Scandinavian chieftain in Normandy
• Harold Harefoot, or Harold I (c. 1015–1040), King of England from 1035 to 1040
• Harold Godwinson, or Harold II (c. 1022–1066), the last Anglo-Saxon king of England
• Harold of Gloucester (died 1168), supposed child martyr and saint, allegedly murdered by Jews
• Arioald, king of the Lombards

Modern name

• Harold Arroyo, Puerto Rican boxer
• Harold Bailey (gridiron football) (born 1957), American football player
• Harold Walter Bailey (1899–1996), British linguist
• Harold Bekkering (born 1965), Dutch cognitive psychologist
• Harold Bloom, American literary critic
• Harold Craxton (1885–1971), British composer and pianist
• Harold Camping (born 1921), President of Family Radio
• Hal Daub (born 1941), American politician
• Harold Ely (1909–1983), American football player
• Harold Faltermeyer (born 1952), German musician
• Harold H. Fisher, (1901–2005), American church architect
• Harold Ford, Jr., U.S. Congressman, candidate for U.S. Senate
• Harold Frost (1921–2004), American orthopedist and surgeon
• Harold Goldsmith (1930–2004), American Olympic foil and épée fencer
• Harold Hart (born 1952), American football player
• Hal Holbrook (born 1925), American actor
• Harold Holt, Australian Prime Minister
• Harold Holt (impresario), South African-English impresario
• Harold Houser, American admiral and 35th Governor of American Samoa
• Harold A. Jerry, Jr. (1920–2001), New York politician
• Harold La Borde, Trinidadian circumnavigator
• Harold Landry (born 1996), American football player
• Hal Lindsey (born 1929), American evangelist and Christian writer
• Harold Lloyd, American film actor
• Harold C. Luther (1915–1973), New York politician
• Harold Macmillan, British Prime Minister
• Harold McCartney, English former professional rugby league footballer
• Harold Norse, American poet
• Harold I. Panken (1910–1999), New York state senator
• Harold Perrineau, American actor
• Harold Pinter (1930–2008), British playwright
• Harold Prince (born 1928), American theatrical producer and director
• Harold Ramis (1944–2014), American film actor, director, writer and producer.
• Harold Solomon (born 1952), American tennis player ranked No. 5 in the world in 1980
• Hal Steinbrenner (born 1969), principal owner, managing general partner and co-chairman of the New York Yankees baseball franchise
• Harold Tucker, Lord Mayor of Manchester, England, from 1984–1985
• Harold I. Tyler (1901–1967), New York assemblyman
• Harold R. Tyler, Jr. (1922–2005), federal judge in New York
• Harold Urey (1893–1981), American physical chemist
• Hal B. Wallis (1898–1986), American film producer
• Harold Walker (disambiguation), several people
• Harold Washington, first African-American mayor of Chicago
• Harold Weed, digital artist
• Harold E. Weeks, American politician
• Harold Wellman (1909–1999), New Zealand geologist
• Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister
• Harold "Butch" Wynegar (born 1956), major league baseball player
• Harold Zent (1900–1951), Member of the Washington House of Representatives

See also

• Harald (disambiguation)
• All pages beginning with Harold

References