2000
#11,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Hardt
A German habitational surname derived from a place named Hardt, referring to someone living near a forest or woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,886 Americans carry the last name Hardt. That puts it at #11,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,764 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hardt 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
2.9K
1 in 118,764
Census rank
#11,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,517 bearers of the surname Hardt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hardt
The surname Hardt is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hart," meaning "hard" or "solid." It likely emerged as an occupational name for someone who worked with hard materials, such as a stonemason or blacksmith.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Henricus Hardt, mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne in 1274.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Harde, Harte, and Hartte, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in that era. The Hardt family was particularly prominent in the region of Saxony, where they held land and titles.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Hardt, a German scholar and theologian born in 1700. He was a professor at the University of Helmstedt and authored several works on church history and theology.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Hardt name spread across Europe as families migrated and settled in other regions. In the Netherlands, the Hardt family established themselves in Amsterdam, where they were successful merchants and traders.
Another significant figure was Hermann von der Hardt, a German historian and theologian born in 1660. He served as a professor at the University of Helmstedt and is known for his contributions to the study of early Christian literature.
As the name spread, it also took on various spellings and variations, such asHardt, Hartt, and Hardtke, reflecting local linguistic influences and preferences.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the United States as German immigrants settled in various regions. One notable American bearer of the name was Ernest Hardt, born in 1876, who was a successful businessman and philanthropist in New York City.
Throughout history, the Hardt surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hardt
Among Census respondents with the surname Hardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hardt 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 Hardt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,257
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 96
- Two or more races3.5% · 89
- Black or African American2.0% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hardt
Hardt 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
#11,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,729
+151 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 267 places
2020
#11,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,517
-212 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 372 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,257 | 2,578 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,524 | 2,729 | 0.93 | +151 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 267 places |
| 2020 | #11,896 | 2,517 | 0.84 | -212 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 372 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 Hardt 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 | #11,524 | #11,896 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,729 | 2,517 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.84 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hardt bearers went from 2,729 to 2,517 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 372 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,524 to #11,896.
FAQ
Hardt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hardt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,886 living Americans carry the surname Hardt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,764 residents.
How common is Hardt?
Hardt ranks #11,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,517 people with the surname Hardt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,886), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Hardt.
Has Hardt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hardt went from 2,729 recorded bearers to 2,517. That is a decrease of 212 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,524 to #11,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Hardt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Hardt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,257 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hardt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (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 Hardt (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 Hardt mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place named Hardt, referring to someone living near a forest or woods. 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 Hardt (0.84 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 common is the surname Hardt?
Find out how many people are called Hardt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.