2000
#10,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Harkey
An English occupational surname referring to a hawker or peddler of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,213 Americans carry the last name Harkey. That puts it at #10,859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harkey 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 Harkey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,677
Census rank
#10,859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,802 bearers of the surname Harkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harkey
The surname Harkey is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hare," which referred to the animal, and the suffix "-ey," which denoted a small island or a meadow. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near a meadow or small island where hares were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Harkey can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were survey records of landholders in England. These rolls mention a person named William Harekey, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Harekey, Harekeye, and Harekye, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and written forms common during that era. One notable figure from this period was John Harkey, a merchant from the city of Bristol, who was granted a license to trade in 1387.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Harkey continued to be found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. In 1487, a record from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire mentioned a Richard Harkey, who was involved in a land dispute.
The 17th century saw the Harkey surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable individual from this era was William Harkey, a Scottish Covenanter who was imprisoned and exiled for his religious beliefs in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the name Harkey appeared in various parish records and census documents across England. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Harkey, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and was commended for his bravery in battle.
As the Harkey surname continued to spread throughout the 19th century, it became associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Harkey, a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in various parts of the world during his expeditions in the early 1800s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Harkey 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 Harkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,475
- Black or African American3.9% · 108
- Two or more races3.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harkey
Harkey 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
#10,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,158
+327 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 226 places
2020
#10,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,802
-356 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 659 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,426 | 2,831 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,200 | 3,158 | 1.07 | +327 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 226 places |
| 2020 | #10,859 | 2,802 | 0.94 | -356 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 659 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 Harkey 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 | #10,200 | #10,859 | -6.5% |
| Count | 3,158 | 2,802 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.94 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harkey bearers went from 3,158 to 2,802 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 659 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,200 to #10,859.
FAQ
Harkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harkey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,213 living Americans carry the surname Harkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,677 residents.
How common is Harkey?
Harkey ranks #10,859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,802 people with the surname Harkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Harkey.
Has Harkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harkey went from 3,158 recorded bearers to 2,802. That is a decrease of 356 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,200 to #10,859.
What does the Census say about the background of Harkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Harkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Harkey (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 Harkey mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a hawker or peddler of goods. 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 Harkey (0.94 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 have the surname Harkey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.