2000
#3,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.06
Rare Last name
Harbin
A habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Harbin, likely meaning "Heribert's settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,269 Americans carry the last name Harbin. That puts it at #4,241 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,979 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harbin 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 Harbin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,979
Census rank
#4,241
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,083 bearers of the surname Harbin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4241st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harbin
The surname Harbin has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the town of Harbyn or Harburn, located in the county of Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "hær" meaning army or host, and "byrne" meaning a stream or brook, suggesting a connection to a stream or river inhabited by soldiers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Harbin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Richard de Herbrun is mentioned. The name has also been found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Herburn."
In the 13th century, the surname Harbin was associated with the village of Harburn, located in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This village was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Harbrun," indicating the long-standing presence of the name in the region.
Notable individuals with the surname Harbin include Sir John Harbin (c. 1554-1643), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Wigan in the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Harbin (1663-1735), a British naval officer who served as Captain of the HMS Falmouth during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 19th century, Robert Walter Weir Harbin (1842-1918) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. George Harbin Brown (1870-1938) was an English painter and illustrator best known for his depictions of rural life in the early 20th century.
During World War II, Lieutenant Commander John Harbin (1913-1944) was a Royal Navy officer who received the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his actions during the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Throughout its history, the surname Harbin has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England, particularly in Yorkshire and the surrounding counties. It has also been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as politics, architecture, art, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harbin
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Harbin 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 Harbin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 6,234
- Black or African American15.8% · 1,279
- Two or more races4.0% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harbin
Harbin 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
#4,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,587
+328 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Down 181 places
2020
#4,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,083
-504 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,949 | 8,259 | 3.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,130 | 8,587 | 2.91 | +328 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 181 places |
| 2020 | #4,241 | 8,083 | 2.70 | -504 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 111 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 Harbin 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 | #4,130 | #4,241 | -2.7% |
| Count | 8,587 | 8,083 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.91 | 2.70 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harbin bearers went from 8,587 to 8,083 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,130 to #4,241.
FAQ
Harbin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harbin?
Name Census estimates that about 9,269 living Americans carry the surname Harbin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,979 residents.
How common is Harbin?
Harbin ranks #4,241 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,083 people with the surname Harbin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Harbin.
Has Harbin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harbin went from 8,587 recorded bearers to 8,083. That is a decrease of 504 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,130 to #4,241.
What does the Census say about the background of Harbin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Harbin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (6,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harbin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Harbin (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 Harbin mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Harbin, likely meaning "Heribert's settlement." 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 Harbin (2.70 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 share the surname Harbin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.