Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Hari
“resembling a lion”
Hari is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “resembling a lion.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “resembling a lion.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hari through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 885
- 871 boys · 14 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 45 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #4,446 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +26%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 23 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,446 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,001 as a first name in 2020; 1,247 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hari’s family of names
Hari has a related form in Hary. Hari has a related form in Harea. Hari has a related form in Haree.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Hari
- Hari SinghLast King of Kashmir (1925-1952)1895–1961
- Hari NefAmerican actor, model and authorborn 1992
- Hari KostovPrime Minister of the Republic of Macedoniaborn 1959
- Hari KunzruBritish novelist and journalist (1969-)
- Hari RhodesAmerican actor and author (1932-1992)
- Hari ChandIndian distance runner (1953–2022)
- Hari Vinayak PataskarIndian politician (1892–1970)
- Hari KondaboluAmerican comedianborn 1982
- Hari Prasad RimalNepali male actor1925–2018
Characters named Hari: Hari Seldon (the Foundation universe by Isaac Asimov).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hari, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hamid
“a praiseworthy man” · “a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Ajit
“one who is invincible”
>99% boys
Kavi
“a great poetess” · “a poetic man”
92% boys · 8% girls
Sahib
“lord of the house”
87% boys · 13% girls
Vidit
“to know” · “known”
>99% boys
Tarak
“one who protects others”
>99% boys
Mohan
“an attractive woman”
>99% boys
Kartar
“a master”
>99% boys