2000
#2,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.30
Uncommon Last name
Harkins
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó hEarcáin, meaning "descendant of Earcán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,804 Americans carry the last name Harkins. That puts it at #3,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,769 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harkins 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 Harkins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,769
Census rank
#3,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,166 bearers of the surname Harkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harkins
The surname Harkins is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "O'hArgain," which means "descendant of Argan." It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in the northern Irish province of Ulster, particularly in the counties of Armagh and Tyrone.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Harkins can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1197, a man named Argan O'hArgain is mentioned as a notable figure in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish families, including the Harkins, were forced to relocate due to the Plantation of Ulster, a government-sponsored campaign to confiscate land from Irish Catholics and grant it to Protestant settlers from England and Scotland. This led to the widespread dispersion of the Harkins name throughout Ireland and eventually beyond.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Patrick Harkins (1690-1778) was a Catholic priest and historian who authored several works on Irish history and folklore. He is known for his efforts to preserve Irish language and culture during a time of significant upheaval.
Another notable individual was Thomas Harkins (1819-1892), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1878, representing the riding of Northumberland County, Ontario.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Harkins surname is that of James Harkins (1775-1854), a farmer and soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in the War of 1812.
A more recent figure was John Harkins (1912-2003), an American professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1930s and 1940s.
Additionally, John Harkins (1932-2017) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist who served as the chairman and CEO of Fairfield Manufacturing Company, a leading producer of industrial textiles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Harkins 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 Harkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 9,693
- Black or African American4.2% · 473
- Two or more races3.9% · 434
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 378
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harkins
Harkins 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
#3,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,662
+64 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 245 places
2020
#3,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,166
-496 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,835 | 11,598 | 4.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,080 | 11,662 | 3.95 | +64 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 245 places |
| 2020 | #3,147 | 11,166 | 3.74 | -496 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 67 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 Harkins 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 | #3,080 | #3,147 | -2.2% |
| Count | 11,662 | 11,166 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.74 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harkins bearers went from 11,662 to 11,166 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,080 to #3,147.
FAQ
Harkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harkins?
Name Census estimates that about 12,804 living Americans carry the surname Harkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,769 residents.
How common is Harkins?
Harkins ranks #3,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,166 people with the surname Harkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Harkins.
Has Harkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harkins went from 11,662 recorded bearers to 11,166. That is a decrease of 496 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,080 to #3,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Harkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Harkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (9,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Harkins (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 Harkins mean?
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó hEarcáin, meaning "descendant of Earcán," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Harkins (3.74 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 Harkins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.