2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Harkonen
An Old Norse surname derived from "hár" meaning high or tall, and "kind" meaning descendent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Harkonen. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harkonen 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Harkonen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harkonen
The surname Harkonen has its origins in Finland, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Finnish word "harka," meaning "rafter" or "roof beam," and may have originally referred to an occupation or trade related to carpentry or construction.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Harkonen can be found in the parish records of Hämeenkyrö, a municipality in the Pirkanmaa region of western Finland, dating back to the late 1500s. The name appears to have been concentrated in this area during its early history.
While the Harkonen name does not appear in any major historical manuscripts or records from outside Finland, it is worth noting that Finnish surnames, particularly those derived from occupations or locations, did not become fully established until the 19th century. As such, earlier records may have referred to individuals by patronymics or farm names.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Harkonen was Juho Harkonen, born in Hämeenkyrö in 1623. Another notable bearer of the name was Antti Harkonen, a farmer and landowner who lived in the same region in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Harkonen name began to spread more widely across Finland. Pekka Harkonen (1826-1904), a prominent businessman and landowner from Ylöjärvi, played a significant role in the development of the local economy and infrastructure.
Another notable figure was Vihtori Harkonen (1858-1923), a Finnish politician and member of the Diet of Finland (the national parliament) in the early 20th century. He represented the Finnish Party and was a vocal advocate for Finnish independence from Russia.
As the Harkonen name continued to spread throughout Finland in the 20th century, it also began to appear in other parts of the world due to immigration. Despite its Finnish roots, the name has since been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds and nationalities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harkonen
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Harkonen 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 Harkonen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harkonen
Harkonen 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+14 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,953 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-12 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,632 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 3,953 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 12,632 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 Harkonen 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 | #133,863 | #146,495 | -9.4% |
| Count | 126 | 114 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harkonen bearers went from 126 to 114 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 12,632 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #146,495.
FAQ
Harkonen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harkonen?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Harkonen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Harkonen?
Harkonen ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Harkonen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Harkonen.
Has Harkonen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harkonen went from 126 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Harkonen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harkonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Harkonen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harkonen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (6.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Harkonen (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 Harkonen mean?
An Old Norse surname derived from "hár" meaning high or tall, and "kind" meaning descendent. 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 Harkonen (0.04 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 Harkonen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.