UK boy's name
Harshil
Joyful, happy, from Sanskrit words meaning "delight" and "ray of light".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2019. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Harshil is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Harshil popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2019 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4702, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 12 births.
This profile covers 103 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2019. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 25% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 102 living people in the UK are called Harshil. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2020 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Harshil ranked #4702 for boys in England and Wales in 2019, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 12 boys were registered as Harshil.
- • About 102 living people in the UK are estimated to have Harshil as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4702
2019
Births in 2019
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
12 births
Estimated living
102
2026
Meaning
What does Harshil mean?
The name Harshil has its roots in the Sanskrit language, which originated in ancient India and is considered one of the oldest languages in the world, dating back to around the 2nd millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "harsh," meaning joy or happiness, and "il," meaning lord or master.
In Hindu mythology, the name Harshil is closely associated with the god Vishnu, who is revered as the preserver of the universe and the embodiment of joy and bliss. Some ancient Hindu texts, such as the Puranas, mention the name Harshil as a devotee or a follower of Vishnu, though specific references are scarce.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Harshil can be traced back to the medieval period in India, particularly in regions where Sanskrit was widely used as a language of scholarship and literature. One of the earliest known individuals with the name Harshil was a Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century CE in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Harshil. One such person was Harshil Mehta, an Indian cricket player who played domestic cricket in the 1980s and 1990s. Another notable Harshil was Harshil Karan, an Indian-American entrepreneur and co-founder of the tech startup FitTrack, which develops fitness tracking devices.
In the field of literature, Harshil Srivastav is a contemporary Indian author known for his novels and short stories. He was born in 1987 and has published several works exploring themes of identity, relationships, and the human condition.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Harshil was Harshil Patel, an Indian-American software engineer who worked at prominent companies like Google and Microsoft. He was born in 1981 and made significant contributions to various open-source projects.
While the name Harshil is primarily associated with the Indian subcontinent, it has gained popularity in other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots remain deeply intertwined with the Sanskrit language and ancient Hindu traditions, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Harshil over time
The chart below shows babies named Harshil registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2019. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Harshil, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2019, compared with 12 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Harshil by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Harshil was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4238 | 37 | 9 |
| 2000s | #2619 | 45 | 8 |
| 1990s | #2452 | 21 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Harshil
- Harry 141,693
- Henry 65,177
- Harrison 45,958
- Harvey 35,648
- Harley 22,095
- Hugo 18,779
- Hayden 12,622
- Hunter 10,350
- Hudson 9,104
- Hamza 8,564
- Hassan 5,982
- Hasan 3,599
FAQ
Harshil: questions and answers
How popular is the name Harshil in the UK right now?
In 2019, Harshil was ranked #4702 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Harshil most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 12 babies registered as Harshil in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Harshil?
Joyful, happy, from Sanskrit words meaning "delight" and "ray of light".
How many people are called Harshil in the UK?
A total of 103 babies have been registered as Harshil across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.