Harvey

Harvey comes from the Breton Haerviu — haer (battle) and viu (worthy) — carried into England by Breton knights in William the Conqueror's retinue. It became a solid working-class English first name by the nineteenth century, then aged into grandfatherly territory, then back into vogue. Jimmy Stewart played opposite an invisible six-foot rabbit named Harvey in the 1950 film; more recently, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's choice helped revive it. The name reentered the U.S. top 500 in 2015 and has climbed steadily. Two syllables, a warm H, a soft V, a gentle E-landing. Vintage without costume, friendly without trying.