2000
#11,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,497
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Hara
A Japanese surname meaning "field" or "plain," or referring to someone who lived near or worked in fields.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,173 Americans carry the last name Hara. That puts it at #14,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hara 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hara with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,733
Census rank
#14,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,895 bearers of the surname Hara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.0%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Two or More Races (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hara
Among Census respondents with the surname Hara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.0%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Two or More Races (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hara 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 Hara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander56.0% · 1,062
- White23.7% · 449
- Two or more races10.8% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 152
- Black or African American0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hara
Hara 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
#11,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
+106 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 451 places
2020
#14,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,895
-708 bearers (-27.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 2,976 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,547 | 2,497 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,998 | 2,603 | 0.88 | +106 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 451 places |
| 2020 | #14,974 | 1,895 | 0.63 | -708 bearers (-27.2%) | Down 2,976 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 Hara 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 | #11,998 | #14,974 | -24.8% |
| Count | 2,603 | 1,895 | -27.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.63 | -28.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hara bearers went from 2,603 to 1,895 (-27.2% change). The surname moved down 2,976 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,998 to #14,974.
FAQ
Hara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hara?
Name Census estimates that about 2,173 living Americans carry the surname Hara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,733 residents.
How common is Hara?
Hara ranks #14,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,895 people with the surname Hara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hara.
Has Hara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hara went from 2,603 recorded bearers to 1,895. That is a decrease of 708 (-27.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,998 to #14,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Hara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.0%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Two or More Races (10.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.0% (1,062 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (56.0%), White (23.7%), Two or More Races (10.8%). 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 Hara (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 Hara mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "field" or "plain," or referring to someone who lived near or worked in fields. 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 Hara (0.63 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 surname Hara?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.