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

Harfst, 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 Harfst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harfst in America

Harfst is the 95115th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harfst surname appeared 192 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 Harfst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harfst 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 Harfst

The surname HARFST has its origins in the German language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in regions of central and northern Germany, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day states such as Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Brandenburg.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HARFST surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical records from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "harst," which referred to a wooded ridge or a small hill, suggesting that the HARFST family may have resided in such a geographical area.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the HARFST surname appeared in various historical documents, including parish records and land registries, in regions such as Brunswick, Hanover, and the Electorate of Brandenburg. Notable bearers of the HARFST name from this time period include Johann HARFST, a merchant from Lüneburg who lived in the late 16th century, and Anna HARFST, a landowner from the village of Wittingen, documented in the 1620s.

In the 18th century, the HARFST surname gained prominence with the birth of Friedrich Wilhelm HARFST (1720-1789), a German philosopher and scholar who taught at the University of Halle. His son, Carl Gottlieb HARFST (1762-1838), followed in his footsteps as a respected academic and served as a professor of philosophy at the University of Leipzig.

Another notable figure bearing the HARFST name was Johann Friedrich HARFST (1780-1859), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. His works, such as "Die Lehre von der Seligkeit" (The Doctrine of Blessedness), published in 1832, were widely read and influential in his time.

As the HARFST family continued to disperse throughout Germany and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Harst, Harfest, and Harfsten. These variations can be found in historical records from different regions, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the Germanic language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harfst

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

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

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

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