Hardin
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "hardy, brave, strong".
Name Census estimates that about 706 living Americans carry the first name Hardin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hardin today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hardin births was 2021 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hardin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
706
~ 1 in 485,488 Americans
Peak year
2021
99 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,710
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Hardin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hardin from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 444 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hardin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hardin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hardins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas recorded the most babies named Hardin, while Mississippi, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hardin
The name Hardin is an English surname with origins that can be traced back to the Old English and Old German languages. It is derived from the words "hare" and "dun," which together mean "hare hill" or "hill where hares are found." This name likely originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, roughly between the 5th and 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hardin can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book includes several references to individuals with the surname Hardin or similar spellings, such as Hardwin or Hardine.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Hardin was primarily used as a surname, and its usage as a given name was relatively uncommon. However, there are some notable historical figures who bore the name Hardin as their first name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Hardin was Hardin of Monmouth, a 12th-century Welsh monk and author. He is best known for his work "De Vita Merlini," a Latin poem about the legendary figure Merlin.
In the 16th century, there was Hardin Burnell, an English nobleman and politician who served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was born around 1530 and played a significant role in the English Reformation.
During the 17th century, Hardin Hartwell was a prominent figure in the Virginia Colony. He was born around 1640 and served as a member of the House of Burgesses, the legislative assembly of Virginia.
In the 18th century, Hardin Burnley was an American Revolutionary War soldier and politician. He was born in 1744 and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Guilford Court House. After the war, he served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Another notable figure with the first name Hardin was Hardin Biggs, an American politician and lawyer who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1810 and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina.
While the name Hardin has its roots in the Old English and Old German languages, its usage as a first name has been relatively uncommon throughout history. However, the individuals mentioned above demonstrate that the name has been present in various historical contexts and periods, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
People
Hardin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hardin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hardin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hardin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 706 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hardin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 485,488 US residents.
Is Hardin a common name?
We classify Hardin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,261 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hardin most popular?
The single biggest year for Hardin was 2021, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hardin is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hardin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hardin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.