2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Harhay
A surname of Armenian origin, possibly meaning "happiness" or "joy".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Harhay. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harhay 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Harhay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harhay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harhay
The surname HARHAY is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "harrier," which means "to harass" or "to torment," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who had a tendency to harass or torment others.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HARHAY can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their properties in England and parts of Wales, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that individuals bearing the name HARHAY may have been among the Norman settlers who accompanied William during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
In the 13th century, a man named Robert HARHAY was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, a collection of records documenting the names of landowners and their properties in the county of Huntingdonshire, England. This provides evidence of the name's presence in England during that period.
During the 14th century, the name HARHAY appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, which listed individuals who were required to pay a tax to the crown. One notable individual from this time was Sir John HARHAY, a knight who served under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France.
In the 16th century, a family bearing the name HARHAY resided in the village of Harrow-on-the-Hill, in the county of Middlesex, England. This location may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time, as it is similar to the word "Harrow."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname HARHAY, including:
1. William HARHAY (c. 1400-1470), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in the 15th century.
2. Henry HARHAY (1520-1588), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious texts during the Reformation period.
3. Margaret HARHAY (1650-1720), a Scottish poet and playwright known for her works exploring themes of love and nature.
4. James HARHAY (1785-1858), a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Australia and New Zealand.
5. Elizabeth HARHAY (1870-1945), an American activist and suffragist who fought for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harhay
Among Census respondents with the surname Harhay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Harhay 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 Harhay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harhay
Harhay appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Harhay 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harhay bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Harhay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harhay?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Harhay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Harhay?
Harhay ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Harhay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Harhay.
Has Harhay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harhay went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Harhay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harhay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Harhay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harhay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Harhay (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 Harhay mean?
A surname of Armenian origin, possibly meaning "happiness" or "joy". 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 Harhay (0.03 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 Harhay?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Harhay on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.