2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Harahan
A surname of Irish origin derived from the Gaelic term "O'hArrachàin" meaning "descendent of Arrachán."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Harahan. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harahan 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Harahan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harahan
The surname HARAHAN is believed to have originated in Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 16th century. The name is thought to be a variant of the Irish Gaelic name Ó hArgáin, which means "descendant of Argán". Argán was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word argán, meaning "little champion" or "little hero".
The earliest known record of the HARAHAN surname dates back to 1595, when a John Harahan was mentioned in the Fiants of County Donegal. In the 17th century, the name appeared in the Hearth Money Rolls of County Down, indicating that families bearing this surname were present in that region during that time.
One notable individual with the HARAHAN surname was James Harahan, an Irish Catholic priest and writer who lived from 1683 to 1747. He was a renowned controversialist and author of several works defending the Catholic faith against Protestant criticisms.
In the 18th century, the HARAHAN name was found in the parish records of County Mayo, where a Michael Harahan was born in 1756. Around the same period, a John Harahan was recorded as a landowner in County Derry in the Griffith's Valuation of 1858.
During the 19th century, the HARAHAN surname spread beyond Ireland as Irish immigrants emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable bearer of this name was John Joseph Harahan, an American Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1888 to 1909.
Another individual of note was James Harahan, a successful businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1841 to 1920. He was born in Ireland but later immigrated to the United States, where he amassed a considerable fortune in the railroad industry. Harahan, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, was named in his honor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harahan
Among Census respondents with the surname Harahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Harahan 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 Harahan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 94
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harahan
Harahan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-11 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 8,017 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 Harahan 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 | #147,253 | #155,270 | -5.4% |
| Count | 112 | 101 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harahan bearers went from 112 to 101 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 8,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #155,270.
FAQ
Harahan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harahan?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Harahan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Harahan?
Harahan ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Harahan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Harahan.
Has Harahan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harahan went from 112 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Harahan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harahan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Harahan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harahan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Harahan (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 Harahan mean?
A surname of Irish origin derived from the Gaelic term "O'hArrachàin" meaning "descendent of Arrachán." 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 Harahan (0.03 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 are called Harahan?
You can see how common the surname Harahan is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.