Find out how popular the last name Harbison is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Harbison.

Harbison, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Harbison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harbison in America

Harbison is the 5598th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harbison surname appeared 6,215 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Harbison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harbison to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Harbison

The surname Harbison originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "hærbyrig" and "tun," meaning "army town" or "military settlement." This suggests that the Harbisons were likely descendants of a group of soldiers or warriors who settled in a particular area.

The name first appeared in historical records around the 12th century, with variations in spelling such as Harbyson, Harbertson, and Harbertoun. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the Harbisons were prominent landowners in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the counties of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. Some of the earliest documented Harbisons include John Harbison, who witnessed a charter in Roxburghshire in 1357, and William Harbison, who was granted lands in Berwickshire in 1392.

Throughout the centuries, the Harbisons played a significant role in Scottish history, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was Sir Robert Harbison, a Scottish knight who fought alongside William Wallace in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th century.

Another notable Harbison was John Harbison, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation and played a key role in establishing Presbyterianism in Scotland.

In the 17th century, the Harbisons began to migrate to Ulster, Ireland, during the Plantation of Ulster. This led to the establishment of several Harbison families in counties such as Antrim and Down.

One of the most famous Harbisons was James Harbison, an Irish-born Presbyterian minister who emigrated to America in the early 18th century. He was a prominent figure in the Great Awakening religious revival and played a significant role in the establishment of Princeton University.

Other notable Harbisons throughout history include Robert Harbison, an American architect and author who lived in the 19th century, and John Harbison, a contemporary American composer and winner of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1987.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harbison

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Harbison.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Harbison was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Harbison has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Harbison was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Harbison, please contact us.

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