2000
#31,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Harbold
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "army bold" or "battle brave".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 771 Americans carry the last name Harbold. That puts it at #35,918 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 444,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harbold 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
771
1 in 444,558
Census rank
#35,918
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
672
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 672 bearers of the surname Harbold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35918th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbold, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harbold
The surname Harbold is believed to have originated in England, with roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon era in the 8th or 9th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has been lost to history.
Some etymologists suggest that the name Harbold may be composed of two Old English elements: "hær" meaning army or warrior, and "bold" meaning a dwelling or house. This would indicate that the name originally referred to a warrior's residence or a fortified dwelling place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Harbold surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a manuscript commissioned by William the Conqueror to record the land holdings and taxable assets in England. The entry mentions a landowner named Herbold in the county of Yorkshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Hærbold, Herbold, and Harbould, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. These variations often corresponded to different regions or local dialects.
Historically, the Harbold surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Sir William Harbold, a prominent knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century.
Another individual of note was John Harbold, a merchant and alderman who served as the Lord Mayor of London in the late 16th century (1589-1590). His legacy includes the construction of almshouses and charitable foundations in the city.
In the 17th century, there was a Thomas Harbold, who was a member of the Virginia Company, a joint-stock company that established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown in 1607.
Moving to the 18th century, we find Elizabeth Harbold, a renowned portrait painter who was active in London during the 1770s and gained recognition for her skillful depictions of aristocratic subjects.
Finally, in the 19th century, there was William Harbold, a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in the Gothic Revival style, including churches and public institutions in various cities across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harbold
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbold, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Harbold 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 Harbold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 635
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 15
- Two or more races2.1% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harbold
Harbold 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
#37,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 591
-94 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 5,798 places
2020
#35,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 672
+81 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 1,728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,848 | 685 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,646 | 591 | 0.20 | -94 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 5,798 places |
| 2020 | #35,918 | 672 | 0.22 | +81 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 1,728 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 Harbold 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 | #37,646 | #35,918 | 4.6% |
| Count | 591 | 672 | 13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.22 | 12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harbold bearers went from 591 to 672 (+13.7% change). The surname moved up 1,728 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,646 to #35,918.
FAQ
Harbold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harbold?
Name Census estimates that about 771 living Americans carry the surname Harbold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 444,558 residents.
How common is Harbold?
Harbold ranks #35,918 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 672 people with the surname Harbold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (771), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Harbold.
Has Harbold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harbold went from 591 recorded bearers to 672. That is an increase of 81 (+13.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #37,646 to #35,918.
What does the Census say about the background of Harbold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harbold, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Harbold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harbold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Harbold (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 Harbold mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "army bold" or "battle brave". 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 Harbold (0.22 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 Harbold?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.