boy's name
Haroun
ha-ROON
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 7,175
France
#121
2025 births
Haroun is a boy's name whose meaning has never been settled, the Arabic form of Aaron, brother of Moses. It ranks 121st in France, is rising in our data, and its most famous bearer ruled Baghdad.
- Haroun is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in France in 2023, when 515 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,191 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1966.
Haroun over time
Births per decade in France, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 15 |
| 1970s | 65 |
| 1980s | 130 |
| 1990s | 100 |
| 2000s | 340 |
| 2010s | 2,630 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,925 |
What Haroun means
Haroun has no agreed meaning. Mountain of strength and shining are both offered for the Hebrew Aharon, and neither is demonstrable — the name is very likely Egyptian rather than Hebrew, which would put it beyond reconstruction.
Where Haroun comes from
Haroun is a French spelling of the Arabic Harun, from the Hebrew Aharon. The derivation is genuinely unknown: mountain of strength and light-bringer are the readings usually printed, but both are late guesses, and the name's likely Egyptian origin — Aaron being of the same generation as Moses, whose name is also probably Egyptian — makes any Hebrew etymology suspect. Harun is named in the Quran as a prophet and as the brother given to Musa to help him speak, matching the Exodus account where Aaron speaks for a Moses who says he is slow of tongue. Its most famous historical bearer is Harun al-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph who ruled from Baghdad at the end of the eighth century and appears throughout the Thousand and One Nights, which is where most Western readers first meet the name.
Haroun in use
Haroun ranks 121st in France with about 515 births in 2025 and is rising in our data with a peak in 2023. Our records carry it from 1966. It is rare in the English-speaking markets — 2,268th in England and Wales, 4,707th in the United States — where Harun and Haroon are the more usual spellings and the English Aaron dominates the sound entirely.
How popular is Haroun?
In 2025, Haroun was given to 495 babies in France, ranking #121 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Haroun is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Haroun is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Hâroun | Hâroun is Haroun written with a circumflex, used in France, where it ranks #1,890. | 115 |
| Haroûn | Haroûn is a rare spelling of Haroun, written with a circumflex and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Haroun
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Haroun also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Haroun over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Haroun in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Haroun
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Haroun — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Haroun
What does the name Haroun mean?
It is unsettled. Mountain of strength and shining are both offered, and neither can be demonstrated.
Is Haroun the Arabic for Aaron?
Yes. Harun is named in the Quran as a prophet and as the brother given to Musa.
Who was Harun al-Rashid?
The Abbasid caliph who ruled from Baghdad at the end of the eighth century, and a fixture of the Thousand and One Nights.
How popular is Haroun?
121st in France, where it is rising.
Is Haroun a girl's or a boy's name?
Haroun is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
Is Haroun a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Haroun currently ranks #121 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.