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

Harker, 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 Harker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harker in America

Harker is the 6230th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harker surname appeared 5,485 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Harker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harker 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 Harker

The surname Harker has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning hare and "covert" meaning a thicket or small wood, thus referring to someone who lived near a hare's covert or a place where hares sought shelter.

The name was initially found in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire, where it was often spelled as Harker, Harkar, or Harcart. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named William Harker is mentioned.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to places that may have contributed to the surname Harker, such as Harcourt in Oxfordshire and Harecort in Warwickshire.

The surname Harker has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was John Harker, a merchant from York who lived in the 14th century. Another prominent figure was William Harker, a English mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1579 to 1625 and contributed to the development of logarithms.

In the 17th century, a family of Harkers played a significant role in the English Civil War. Colonel Thomas Harker (1610-1667) was a Parliamentarian officer who fought for the Roundheads, while his brother, Captain John Harker (1612-1689), served in the Royalist army.

During the 18th century, John Harker (1700-1780) was a notable English clockmaker who became renowned for his longcase clocks, which were highly sought after by the aristocracy of the time.

Another notable figure was Samuel Harker (1820-1892), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the St. Pancras Chambers.

The surname Harker has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Harker Moss in Lancashire, Harker Scar in Yorkshire, and Harker Village in County Durham. These place names likely originated from the Old English words "hara" and "covert," further emphasizing the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harker

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

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

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

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