2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Harbauer
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from "Herr Bauer" meaning "gentleman farmer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Harbauer. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harbauer 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Harbauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harbauer
The surname Harbauer is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "harr" meaning army or warrior, and "bauer" meaning farmer or peasant.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, appearing in various local records and historical documents from towns and villages across southern Germany. One notable mention is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of Saxon charters and manuscripts from the year 1287, where a certain Henricus Harbauer is listed as a landowner in the town of Meissen.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Nuremberg Hussiten-Chronik, a historical chronicle detailing the Hussite Wars in Bohemia and the surrounding regions. A soldier named Hans Harbauer is mentioned as being part of the Nuremberg contingent sent to aid the Holy Roman Empire's forces against the Hussite rebels.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Harbauer was Konrad Harbauer, born in 1412 in the village of Riedering, Bavaria. He was a farmer and landowner who is recorded in the local parish records of the time.
During the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the exploits of Matthias Harbauer, a German mercenary captain who fought in the service of various rulers across Europe during the latter stages of the Renaissance. Born in 1529 in the town of Augsburg, he is said to have been a skilled military strategist and leader of men.
Another notable figure was Johann Harbauer, a scholar and theologian who lived from 1598 to 1668. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Jena and was renowned for his writings on Protestant doctrine and biblical exegesis.
In more recent centuries, the name has been carried by individuals such as Friedrich Harbauer (1705-1783), a German painter and engraver renowned for his portraits and religious works, and Wilhelm Harbauer (1822-1899), a German industrialist who owned several successful textile factories in Saxony.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harbauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Harbauer 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 Harbauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 9
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harbauer
Harbauer 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 807 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 Harbauer 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 | #151,532 | #152,339 | -0.5% |
| Count | 108 | 106 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harbauer bearers went from 108 to 106 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,339.
FAQ
Harbauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harbauer?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Harbauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Harbauer?
Harbauer ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Harbauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Harbauer.
Has Harbauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harbauer went from 108 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Harbauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Harbauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harbauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Hispanic (8.5%), Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Harbauer (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 Harbauer mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from "Herr Bauer" meaning "gentleman farmer." 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 Harbauer (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 surname Harbauer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.