2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Haars
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Haare" meaning "hair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Haars. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haars surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Haars in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haars, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haars
The surname HAARS is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 13th century or early 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "haar," which means "hair" or "head of hair." It is likely that the name was originally used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a distinctive hairstyle or an abundance of hair.
The earliest known records of the HAARS surname can be found in various historical documents from the region of Bavaria, Germany. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Haars, a landowner who lived in the village of Eggenfelden in the late 14th century. Another early record is of a merchant named Peter Haars, who was mentioned in a trade document from the city of Nuremberg in 1412.
In the 15th century, the HAARS surname appeared in several other regions of Germany, including Saxony and the Rhineland. During this period, variations in spelling emerged, such as Haarz, Haarss, and Haarze. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
One notable individual with the HAARS surname was Johann Haars, a German composer and organist who lived from 1636 to 1704. He is known for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style in Germany.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Haars, a German industrialist who lived from 1818 to 1891. He founded the Haars Iron and Steel Works in Duisburg, which played a significant role in the industrialization of the Ruhr region in the 19th century.
The HAARS surname has also been connected to various place names in Germany. For example, the village of Haarshausen in Saxony-Anhalt is believed to have derived its name from the HAARS surname.
Other notable individuals with the HAARS surname include Margarethe Haars (1564-1632), a German midwife and herbalist known for her expertise in folk remedies, and Hans-Jürgen Haars (1934-2007), a German actor and film director who appeared in several popular television series and movies in the latter half of the 20th century.
Overall, the HAARS surname has a rich history in Germany, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It has been associated with various professions and individuals who have contributed to various fields, such as music, industry, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haars
Among Census respondents with the surname Haars, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Haars bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Haars surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 117
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haars
Haars appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+11 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,739 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 1,739 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 59 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Haars surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #142,108 | #142,049 | 0.0% |
| Count | 117 | 120 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haars bearers went from 117 to 120 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,049.
FAQ
Haars surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haars?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Haars. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Haars?
Haars ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Haars. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Haars.
Has Haars become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haars went from 117 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Haars?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haars, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Haars in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haars appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Haars (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Haars mean?
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Haare" meaning "hair." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Haars (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Haars?
See how common the surname Haars is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.