2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Harakas
A surname indicating someone who lived or worked near a marsh or swamp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Harakas. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harakas 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Harakas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harakas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harakas
The surname Harakas has its origins in Greece, dating back to the Byzantine era. It derives from the Greek word "harakoma," which means "boundary" or "boundary marker." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near a boundary or marker, or perhaps someone who was responsible for marking and maintaining boundaries.
During the Byzantine period, the name Harakas can be found in various historical records and documents, although specific references are scarce due to the age of these records. One notable mention is in a 12th-century manuscript from the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, where a monk named Harakas is listed among the residents.
As the centuries passed, the name spread across different regions of Greece, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging. Some of the earliest recorded examples include Harakis, Harakos, and Harakopoulos.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name Harakas was Georgios Harakas, a Greek scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his work on ecclesiastical law and contributed to the cultural renaissance in Greece during the Ottoman period.
Another notable figure was Ioannis Harakas, a Greek military leader who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence in the early 19th century. He played a crucial role in several battles and was instrumental in the liberation of various regions.
In the late 19th century, Konstantinos Harakas, a prominent Greek politician and lawyer, served as a member of the Greek Parliament and played a significant role in shaping the country's legal system.
During the 20th century, the name Harakas continued to be associated with various fields, including academia and the arts. Panagiotis Harakas, born in 1920, was a renowned Greek composer and musician who contributed to the preservation and promotion of traditional Greek music.
Additionally, Dimitrios Harakas, born in 1937, was a respected Greek theologian and professor who wrote extensively on Orthodox Christian ethics and moral theology.
While the surname Harakas is not among the most common in Greece today, it has a long and rich history, with many individuals bearing this name leaving their mark across various domains throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harakas
Among Census respondents with the surname Harakas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Harakas 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 Harakas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 91
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harakas
Harakas 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,007 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-8 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 22,007 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 496 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 Harakas 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 | #156,044 | #156,540 | -0.3% |
| Count | 104 | 96 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harakas bearers went from 104 to 96 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 496 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,540.
FAQ
Harakas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harakas?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Harakas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Harakas?
Harakas ranks #156,540 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 96 people with the surname Harakas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), 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 Harakas.
Has Harakas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harakas went from 104 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #156,044 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Harakas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harakas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Harakas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harakas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Harakas (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 Harakas mean?
A surname indicating someone who lived or worked near a marsh or swamp. 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 Harakas (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 common is the surname Harakas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Harakas at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.