2000
#11,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Harland
Habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hare land" or "boundary land" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,350 Americans carry the last name Harland. That puts it at #14,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harland 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 Harland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,853
Census rank
#14,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,049 bearers of the surname Harland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harland, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harland
The surname Harland is of English origin, originating from the regions of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning "hare" and "land" meaning "land" or "estate". The name likely referred to an area or estate associated with hares or where they were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Harelunt" in Yorkshire. This spelling variation suggests the name's link to the land and its connection to hares.
In the 12th century, the name appeared as "Harelande" in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. These ancient records documented tax payments and landholdings, indicating the Harland family's presence in the region during this period.
The Harland surname evolved over time, with various spellings such as Harland, Harlond, and Harlande appearing in historical records across different regions of England.
Notable individuals with the Harland surname include Sir Robert Harland (1516-1584), a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London. Another notable figure was Sir Edward Harland (1831-1895), a prominent shipbuilder and industrialist from Belfast, Ireland, who co-founded the iconic Harland and Wolff shipyard, responsible for constructing the RMS Titanic.
In the literary world, Henry Harland (1861-1905) was a renowned American novelist and editor known for his works such as "The Cardinal's Snuff-Box" and "The Lady Paramount".
Moving to the realm of sports, Herbert Harland (1875-1946) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Harland (1885-1977), a British civil engineer and architect who designed several iconic buildings, including the Palace of Westminster and the National Gallery in London.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the Harland surname throughout history, showcasing its longstanding presence and significance across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harland
Among Census respondents with the surname Harland, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Harland 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 Harland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 1,693
- Black or African American10.2% · 210
- Two or more races3.5% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harland
Harland 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
#12,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,570
+127 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 382 places
2020
#14,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,049
-521 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,745 | 2,443 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,127 | 2,570 | 0.87 | +127 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 382 places |
| 2020 | #14,071 | 2,049 | 0.69 | -521 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 1,944 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 Harland 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 | #12,127 | #14,071 | -16.0% |
| Count | 2,570 | 2,049 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.69 | -21.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harland bearers went from 2,570 to 2,049 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 1,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,127 to #14,071.
FAQ
Harland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,350 living Americans carry the surname Harland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,853 residents.
How common is Harland?
Harland ranks #14,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,049 people with the surname Harland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Harland.
Has Harland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harland went from 2,570 recorded bearers to 2,049. That is a decrease of 521 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,127 to #14,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Harland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harland, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Harland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (1,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Harland (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 Harland mean?
Habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hare land" or "boundary land" in Old English. 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 Harland (0.69 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 Harland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.