Harrisson
Son of Harry, a diminutive form of Henry meaning "home ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Harrisson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Harrisson today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harrisson births was 2000 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harrisson. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Harrisson with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Harrisson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2000
5 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2000 SSA rank
#11,010
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Harrisson: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Harrisson 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 Harrisson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Harrisson
The name Harrisson is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a variant spelling of the more common name Harrison, which is derived from the Old English words "hærra" meaning "hare" and "sunu" meaning "son." This combination of words suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who hunted or captured hares.
Harrisson is believed to have emerged as a distinct spelling during the 13th or 14th century, particularly in the northern regions of England. This variant spelling may have arisen as a result of regional dialects or scribal errors in the recording of names.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Harrisson can be found in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1292, where a certain "John Harrysone" is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's usage in medieval England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Harrisson. One of the earliest recorded examples is William Harrisson (c. 1535 – 1593), an English scholar and author who wrote on various subjects, including history and theology.
Another prominent figure with this name was Ralph Harrisson (1619 – 1672), an English politician and landowner who served as a member of the House of Commons during the English Civil War.
In the realm of science, mention can be made of John Harrisson (1693 – 1776), an English inventor and clockmaker who designed and constructed one of the world's first successful marine chronometers, a crucial instrument for navigation at sea.
Moving to the 19th century, Thomas Harrisson (1837 – 1921) was a notable English architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
More recently, Tom Harrisson (1911 – 1976) was a renowned British anthropologist and ethnologist who conducted extensive field research in various parts of the world, particularly in the Malay Archipelago.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Harrisson throughout history, representing various fields and eras. The name has a rich heritage and has been carried by many notable figures over the centuries.
People
Harrisson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harrisson 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
Harrisson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harrisson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harrisson 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Harrisson a common name?
We classify Harrisson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harrisson most popular?
The single biggest year for Harrisson was 2000, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harrisson is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Harrisson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Harrisson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harrisson 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.
Is Harrisson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Harrisson in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Harrisson can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Harrisson?
You can see how many Americans are named Harrisson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.