2000
#4,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.57
Rare Last name
Hargrave
From an English place name meaning "hare's grove," referring to a grove or thicket inhabited by hares.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,653 Americans carry the last name Hargrave. That puts it at #5,092 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hargrave 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 Hargrave with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,787
Census rank
#5,092
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,674 bearers of the surname Hargrave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5092nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hargrave, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hargrave
The surname HARGRAVE is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name "Hargrave" in the county of Northamptonshire, England. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "hara" meaning "hare" and "graf" meaning "grove" or "thicket," suggesting the name refers to a grove or thicket where hares were found.
The earliest known record of the name HARGRAVE dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Haregrave." This ancient text, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England at the time. The presence of the name in this historic document underscores its long-standing English heritage.
During the 13th century, the name HARGRAVE began appearing in various records and manuscripts, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed landowners and their holdings. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Sir John Hargrave, a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under King Edward I in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
In the 16th century, the HARGRAVE family established themselves as prominent landowners in the county of Suffolk. Sir William Hargrave (1495-1578) was a notable figure during this time, serving as a Member of Parliament and holding significant estates in the area.
The 17th century saw the rise of several distinguished individuals with the HARGRAVE surname. Francis Hargrave (1741-1821) was a renowned legal scholar and barrister who made significant contributions to the study of English law. He authored numerous works, including "A Collection of Tracts Relative to the Law of England" and "An Argument in Defence of Literary Property."
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir William Hargrave (1762-1839), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted for his bravery and distinguished service, and his exploits were celebrated in contemporary accounts.
As the HARGRAVE name spread across England and beyond, various spellings emerged, including Hargrove, Hargreave, and Hargrave. The name also became associated with several place names, such as Hargrave Park in Stansted, Essex, and Hargrave Hall in Northamptonshire, further solidifying its historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hargrave
Among Census respondents with the surname Hargrave, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hargrave 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 Hargrave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 4,947
- Black or African American16.8% · 1,121
- Two or more races4.4% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 244
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hargrave
Hargrave 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
#4,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,037
+107 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#5,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,674
-363 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,677 | 6,930 | 2.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,989 | 7,037 | 2.39 | +107 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #5,092 | 6,674 | 2.23 | -363 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 103 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 Hargrave 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 | #4,989 | #5,092 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,037 | 6,674 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.39 | 2.23 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hargrave bearers went from 7,037 to 6,674 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,989 to #5,092.
FAQ
Hargrave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hargrave?
Name Census estimates that about 7,653 living Americans carry the surname Hargrave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,787 residents.
How common is Hargrave?
Hargrave ranks #5,092 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,674 people with the surname Hargrave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,653), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hargrave.
Has Hargrave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hargrave went from 7,037 recorded bearers to 6,674. That is a decrease of 363 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,989 to #5,092.
What does the Census say about the background of Hargrave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hargrave, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hargrave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (4,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hargrave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (16.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hargrave (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 Hargrave mean?
From an English place name meaning "hare's grove," referring to a grove or thicket inhabited by hares. 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 Hargrave (2.23 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 share the surname Hargrave?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.