2000
#16,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Harlin
A Breton surname derived from a place name or derived from the Welsh element "har" meaning heron.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,001 Americans carry the last name Harlin. That puts it at #16,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harlin 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 Harlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 171,292
Census rank
#16,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,745 bearers of the surname Harlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harlin
The surname Harlin is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning hare and "lena" meaning dweller or meadow, suggesting that the name initially referred to someone who lived in an area frequented by hares.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as Harlinge. This ancient record indicates that the name was present in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire.
During the 13th century, the name evolved to its more modern spelling of Harlin. This variation can be found in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1212, which mention a William Harlin.
Notably, the surname Harlin is associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest is Sir John Harlin (1389-1457), a prominent English landowner and knight who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in the mid-15th century.
Another distinguished bearer of the name was Thomas Harlin (1512-1580), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Dean of Worcester Cathedral during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name gained recognition through the work of William Harlin (1623-1689), a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Mary-le-Strand in London.
The 18th century saw the rise of James Harlin (1745-1819), a respected English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life and the development of modern gardening techniques.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the legacy of Sir Edward Harlin (1812-1891), a highly decorated British military officer who served in various campaigns, including the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857, earning him the prestigious Victoria Cross for his bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Harlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Harlin 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 Harlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 1,194
- Black or African American15.1% · 264
- Two or more races7.0% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harlin
Harlin 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
#18,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,511
-50 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 1,508 places
2020
#16,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,745
+234 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 2,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,829 | 1,561 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,337 | 1,511 | 0.51 | -50 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,508 places |
| 2020 | #16,050 | 1,745 | 0.58 | +234 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 2,287 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 Harlin 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 | #18,337 | #16,050 | 12.5% |
| Count | 1,511 | 1,745 | 15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.58 | 14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harlin bearers went from 1,511 to 1,745 (+15.5% change). The surname moved up 2,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,337 to #16,050.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harlin
FAQ
Harlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harlin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,001 living Americans carry the surname Harlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,292 residents.
How common is Harlin?
Harlin ranks #16,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,745 people with the surname Harlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,001), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Harlin.
Has Harlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harlin went from 1,511 recorded bearers to 1,745. That is an increase of 234 (+15.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,337 to #16,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Harlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Harlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (1,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Harlin (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 Harlin mean?
A Breton surname derived from a place name or derived from the Welsh element "har" meaning heron. 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 Harlin (0.58 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 Harlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.