Harvey

Harvey is an old Breton/Celtic name originally rendered as Haerviu in the Middle Ages. The name means “battle worthy” from the Celtic elements “hær” (battle) and “viu” (worthy). The name was brought to England by 11th century settlers from Brittany after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bretons (like the Welsh and Cornish) are from the Brythonic branch of Celtic people while the Irish and Scottish are from the Gaelic. The Bretons were early inhabitants of Britain before many crossed the English Channel over to Brittany (a region named after them in northwestern France) in order to escape the invading Anglo-Saxons of the 5th century. The name Haerviu or Hervé gained a following among Bretons in the 6th century thanks to Saint Hervé (521-556), one of Brittany’s most revered saints. Born into an aristocratic family and blind from birth, Haerviu chose a life of isolated contemplation as a hermit and poet. He built an abbey in Brittany and was considered a miracle worker (especially when it came to animals). Saint Hervé is most often depicted with his companion, a wolf, and his feast day is June 17. The Breton’s introduced the name to the English centuries later but its usage became rare later on in the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until the 19th century that Harvey was resurrected in England again. Today, Harvey does remarkably well in England/Wales (the 47th most popular boy’s name in 2011), and it’s a Top 100 in Northern Ireland. In the United States, however, Harvey has fallen far from fashion.