2000
#7,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Hardie
A Scottish territorial surname referring to someone from a place called Hardie, derived from the Old English heorde, meaning "hard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,344 Americans carry the last name Hardie. That puts it at #8,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hardie 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 Hardie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,903
Census rank
#8,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,788 bearers of the surname Hardie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hardie, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hardie
The surname Hardie originated from the northern British Isles, primarily Scotland and northern England, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hearde," meaning "hardy" or "brave." This name was likely given as a nickname to individuals who displayed exceptional courage or strength.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hardie can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This record mentions a landowner named Hardwin in Hertfordshire, England, which may be an early variation of the surname.
The name Hardie gained prominence in Scotland during the 12th and 13th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One of the earliest recorded examples is Sir William Hardie, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Hardie family held lands in the Scottish Borderlands, particularly in the regions of Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire. The name was also associated with the town of Hawick, where the Hardies played a significant role in the local woolen industry.
James Hardie (1540-1607) was a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of St. Andrews. He made notable contributions to the study of geometry and was a contemporary of the renowned scholar John Napier.
Sir Robert Hardie (1718-1789) was a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1776 to 1779. He played a crucial role in the development of the city's infrastructure and was instrumental in the construction of the North Bridge.
William Hardie (1826-1898) was a Scottish-born Australian businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Hardie Trading Company, which became one of the largest commercial enterprises in the Pacific region during the 19th century.
The name Hardie has also been associated with various place names throughout Scotland and northern England, such as Hardiesmill in Lanarkshire, Scotland, and Hardie's Hill in Northumberland, England. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname Hardie who owned or resided in those locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hardie
Among Census respondents with the surname Hardie, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hardie 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 Hardie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 2,934
- Black or African American14.0% · 530
- Two or more races4.6% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hardie
Hardie 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
#8,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,071
+216 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#8,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,788
-283 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,962 | 3,855 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,141 | 4,071 | 1.38 | +216 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #8,367 | 3,788 | 1.27 | -283 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 226 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 Hardie 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 | #8,141 | #8,367 | -2.8% |
| Count | 4,071 | 3,788 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.27 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hardie bearers went from 4,071 to 3,788 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 226 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,141 to #8,367.
FAQ
Hardie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hardie?
Name Census estimates that about 4,344 living Americans carry the surname Hardie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,903 residents.
How common is Hardie?
Hardie ranks #8,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,788 people with the surname Hardie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hardie.
Has Hardie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hardie went from 4,071 recorded bearers to 3,788. That is a decrease of 283 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,141 to #8,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Hardie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hardie, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hardie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (2,934 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hardie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hardie (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 Hardie mean?
A Scottish territorial surname referring to someone from a place called Hardie, derived from the Old English heorde, meaning "hard". 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 Hardie (1.27 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 are called Hardie?
Want to know how many people have the surname Hardie? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.