Harold

Harold is an English given name derived from the Old English name Hereweald, composed of the elements here, meaning army, and weald, meaning power or ruler, yielding an overall sense of ruler of the army. The name was common among Anglo-Saxon nobility and is most famously associated with Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, who died at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. After the Norman Conquest the name fell out of use but was revived during the nineteenth century as part of a broader interest in medieval English heritage. Harald is the Scandinavian cognate, while Harry has historically served as a familiar form shared with Henry.