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

Harff, 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 Harff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harff in America

Harff is the 101247th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harff surname appeared 178 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Harff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harff 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 Harff

The surname HARFF is of German origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Westphalia, located in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name is derived from the Old German word "harf," which means "sharp" or "pointed," and was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a sharp or pointed hill or cliff.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Wormser Urkunden, a collection of historical documents from the city of Worms, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In these documents, a person named "Hermannus Harff" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the year 1256.

During the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the town of Soest, located in the former Duchy of Westphalia. In one manuscript from 1342, a "Gerhardus Harff" is listed as a landowner in the town.

In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the travels of Arnold von Harff, a German knight and traveler born around 1471 in Cologne. He embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land between 1496 and 1498, documenting his journey in a detailed travelogue known as "Die Pilgerfahrt des Ritters Arnold von Harff." This work provides valuable insights into the culture, customs, and geography of the regions he visited.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Johann Harff, a German painter active in the 16th century. He was born in Nuremberg around 1510 and is known for his religious paintings and altarpieces, some of which can still be found in churches and museums across Germany.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the town of Münster, located in the former Prince-Bishopric of Münster. One such record mentions a "Bernhard Harff," who served as a councilman in the city in the year 1632.

During the 18th century, the HARFF surname can be found in historical documents from the city of Cologne, where a "Johann Wilhelm Harff" is recorded as a merchant and member of the city's guild in 1742.

These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the HARFF surname in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Westphalia and the Rhineland. While the name may have originated as a descriptive term, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harff

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

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

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

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