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

Hard, 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 Hard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hard in America

Hard is the 10429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hard surname appeared 3,085 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hard 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 Hard

The surname HARD is of Anglo-Saxon origin and dates back to the early medieval period in England. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hær" or "har", meaning "hare" or "hardy", suggesting that the name was originally a nickname for someone with a hardy or brave disposition, or perhaps someone who was known for hunting hares.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HARD can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Hardus" and is listed as a tenant in the county of Lincolnshire.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname HARD began to appear more frequently in various records and documents across England. Examples include Walter Hard, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, and John Hard, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.

The HARD surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Hardwick and Hardingstone, which may have contributed to the name's development and spread.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname HARD, including:

1. Thomas Hard (c. 1510-1570), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Winchester during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. Ralph Hard (1625-1693), an English soldier and member of parliament during the English Civil War.

3. Anne Hard (1677-1748), an English poet and playwright known for her work "The Captive Bride".

4. Sir John Hard (1742-1817), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

5. William Hard (1763-1832), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

The HARD surname has also been found in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands, where it may have derived from similar Germanic roots or through migration and intermarriage with English families bearing the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hard

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

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 Hard 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 Hard 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 Hard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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