2000
#3,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.66
Uncommon Last name
Harder
An occupational surname referring to a person who herded animals such as cattle, sheep, or goats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,478 Americans carry the last name Harder. That puts it at #3,794 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harder 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 Harder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,712
Census rank
#3,794
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,137 bearers of the surname Harder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3794th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harder
The surname "HARDER" is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "hart," which means "hard" or "strong." The name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was considered physically strong or hardy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "HARDER" can be found in the German town of Kaiserslautern, where a certain Hans Harder is mentioned in a municipal record from the year 1432. This document suggests that the name was in use in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name "HARDER" appears in various records across different German-speaking regions. For instance, a Johann Harder is listed as a resident of the town of Görlitz in Saxony in 1562. Another notable figure was Peter Harder, a merchant from Lübeck who is mentioned in a trade document from 1587.
As the name spread throughout the German states, variations in spelling began to emerge. Some of the early spellings included "Harther," "Haerter," and "Härter." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in written language during that period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name "HARDER" was Christoph Harder, a German composer born in 1616 in Saxony. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style in Germany.
Another notable figure was Johann Jakob Harder, a Swiss theologian and philosopher born in 1642 in Basel. He was a prominent figure in the Pietist movement and wrote several influential works on Christian ethics and spirituality.
In the 18th century, the name "HARDER" gained recognition through the work of Johann Jakob Harder II, a Swiss mathematician and astronomer born in 1708. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a member of the Royal Society in London.
As the name spread beyond German-speaking regions, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through migration. For example, a Johann Harder is listed as one of the early settlers in the Pennsylvania Dutch community in the United States in the late 18th century.
Overall, the surname "HARDER" has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It has been borne by notable figures in various fields, including music, philosophy, and science, and has spread across different regions through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harder
Among Census respondents with the surname Harder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Harder 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 Harder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 8,160
- Two or more races3.9% · 359
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 318
- Black or African American1.4% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harder
Harder 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
#3,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,665
-198 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#3,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,137
-528 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,328 | 9,863 | 3.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,676 | 9,665 | 3.28 | -198 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #3,794 | 9,137 | 3.06 | -528 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 118 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 Harder 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 | #3,676 | #3,794 | -3.2% |
| Count | 9,665 | 9,137 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.28 | 3.06 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harder bearers went from 9,665 to 9,137 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,676 to #3,794.
FAQ
Harder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harder?
Name Census estimates that about 10,478 living Americans carry the surname Harder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,712 residents.
How common is Harder?
Harder ranks #3,794 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 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 9,137 people with the surname Harder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 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 Harder.
Has Harder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harder went from 9,665 recorded bearers to 9,137. That is a decrease of 528 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,676 to #3,794.
What does the Census say about the background of Harder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Harder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (8,160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Harder (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 Harder mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who herded animals such as cattle, sheep, or goats. 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 Harder (3.06 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 Americans have the surname Harder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.