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

Harl, 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 Harl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harl in America

Harl is the 37076th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harl surname appeared 602 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Harl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harl 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 Harl

The surname Harl originated in England and is believed to date back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "haerl," which means "a man from the rock or rocky place." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a rocky area or a place with a rocky landscape.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Harl can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a detailed survey of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Haerl," "Harle," and "Herle," indicating that the spelling was not standardized during that period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Harl, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent knight from Hertfordshire, England. Another noteworthy individual with this surname was William Harl, a merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of London in 1476.

In the 16th century, the Harl family was well-established in various parts of England, including Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. One notable member was Sir Ralph Harl (1515-1568), who was a Member of Parliament and a prominent landowner in Leicestershire.

During the 17th century, the Harl surname was also found in Scotland, particularly in the region of Ayrshire. One notable Scottish bearer of the name was John Harl (1637-1712), a Presbyterian minister and author who wrote several religious works.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Harl was Thomas Harl (1700-1768), an English author and antiquarian who was known for his extensive collection of manuscripts and books, which became the foundation of the Harleian Library at the British Museum.

Throughout its history, the Harl surname has been associated with various place names in England, such as Harlington in Bedfordshire, Harlow in Essex, and Harle in Northumberland. These place names often derive from the same Old English root as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and rocky or stony locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harl

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

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

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

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