2000
#2,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,409
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.23
Uncommon Last name
Harley
From an English place name meaning "hare clearing," or a meadow where hares are found.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,045 Americans carry the last name Harley. That puts it at #3,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,275 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harley 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 Harley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,275
Census rank
#3,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,376 bearers of the surname Harley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harley, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Black (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harley
The surname Harley is of Old English origin, derived from the place name Hartley, which means "the hart's (deer) meadow" or "the stag's meadow". It is believed to have originated in the regions of Lancashire and Yorkshire in Northern England during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded mention of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Herlui" and "Herlewine". These were likely early spellings of the name, reflecting the Norman influence on English at the time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Herteley", "Hertley", and "Hartley". These variations suggest the name's connection to the Old English words "heorot" (hart or stag) and "leah" (meadow or clearing).
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Harley, who lived in the 14th century and was a notable Knight of the Garter during the reign of King Edward III. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Harley (1579-1656), who served as Master of the Mint under King Charles I and was a prominent member of Parliament.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name was well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire. Notable individuals from this period include:
1. Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1689-1741), a renowned bibliophile and collector of manuscripts.
2. Thomas Harley (1730-1804), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. George Harley (1828-1896), a British physician and pathologist who made significant contributions to the field of medicine.
In more recent history, the surname has been associated with notable individuals such as:
1. Robert Harley (1828-1910), an English engineer and inventor who designed the first successful safety bicycle.
2. Walter Harley (1868-1937), the co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company, which was established in 1903.
The name Harley has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Hartley Wintney in Hampshire, Hartley in Kent, and Hartley Green in Buckinghamshire, further emphasizing its connection to the Old English words for "hart" and "meadow".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harley
Among Census respondents with the surname Harley, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Black (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Harley 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 Harley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.5% · 5,633
- Black or African American38.6% · 4,387
- Two or more races5.7% · 643
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 388
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harley
Harley 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
#2,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,186
+777 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#3,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,376
-810 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,886 | 11,409 | 4.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,943 | 12,186 | 4.13 | +777 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #3,081 | 11,376 | 3.81 | -810 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 138 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 Harley 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 | #2,943 | #3,081 | -4.7% |
| Count | 12,186 | 11,376 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.13 | 3.81 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harley bearers went from 12,186 to 11,376 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,943 to #3,081.
FAQ
Harley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harley?
Name Census estimates that about 13,045 living Americans carry the surname Harley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,275 residents.
How common is Harley?
Harley ranks #3,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.81 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 11,376 people with the surname Harley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,045), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.81 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 Harley.
Has Harley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harley went from 12,186 recorded bearers to 11,376. That is a decrease of 810 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,943 to #3,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Harley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harley, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Black (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Harley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (5,633 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.5%), Black (38.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Harley (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 Harley mean?
From an English place name meaning "hare clearing," or a meadow where hares are found. 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 Harley (3.81 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 common is the surname Harley?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Harley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.