Find out how popular the last name Hara is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hara.

Hara, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hara surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hara in America

Hara is the 11998th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hara surname appeared 2,603 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hara.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hara to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hara

The surname HARA originated in Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD). It is derived from the Japanese word "hara" which means "field" or "plain". This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone who lived in or worked on a field or plain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HARA surname can be found in the Kamakura-era manuscript "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East). This historical chronicle mentions several individuals with the HARA surname, indicating that it was already an established family name by the 13th century.

During the Edo period (1603-1868 AD), the HARA surname was particularly prominent in the Hida region of present-day Gifu Prefecture. The village of Hara-mura (Hara Village) in this area likely took its name from the HARA family who were among the earliest settlers there.

One notable figure from this period was HARA Tameaki (1591-1633), a samurai and retainer of the powerful Tokugawa clan. He played a crucial role in the Siege of Osaka Castle, one of the major conflicts of the Sengoku period.

In the Meiji era (1868-1912), HARA Takashi (1856-1923) was a prominent statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921. He is remembered for his efforts to promote democracy and civil liberties in Japan during a turbulent time of social and political change.

Another notable HARA was the artist HARA Kiyoo (1935-1997), whose abstract paintings and sculptures earned him international recognition. He was particularly known for his use of avant-garde techniques and his exploration of the relationship between form and space.

In the world of literature, HARA Tamiki (1905-1951) was a celebrated author and poet. His works, which often explored themes of nature and the human condition, were deeply influenced by the traditional Japanese aesthetic principles of wabi-sabi and mono no aware.

While the HARA surname has its roots in Japan, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Japanese diaspora populations. However, the historical origins of the name can be traced back to the fields and plains of medieval Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hara

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hara.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hara was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hara has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hara was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hara, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!