2000
#19,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Harling
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with a name derived from "hare" and "leah" (Old English for meadow).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,401 Americans carry the last name Harling. That puts it at #21,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 244,650 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harling 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 Harling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 244,650
Census rank
#21,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,222 bearers of the surname Harling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harling, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harling
The surname "Harling" is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in England during the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the village of Harling in Norfolk, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Harlinga". The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning "hare" and "inga" meaning "people of", suggesting that the name may have originally referred to the people living in an area associated with hares.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Harling" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1198, where a Robert de Harlinge is mentioned. The name also appears in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1292, where a John de Harling is listed as holding land in the county.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Sir Robert Harling, a member of the English gentry and a prominent landowner in Norfolk. He is mentioned in various historical records from the period, including the Close Rolls of 1343 and the Patent Rolls of 1349.
During the 15th century, the name "Harling" can be found in the Register of the Freemen of York from 1459, which lists a William Harlyng as a freeman of the city. Around the same time, a John Harling is recorded in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the wealthy Paston family of Norfolk, dated between 1422 and 1509.
In the 16th century, one notable figure was William Harling, a merchant and member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers in York, who lived from around 1510 to 1586. Another individual of note was John Harling, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in Norwich in 1555 during the Marian Persecutions under the reign of Queen Mary I.
Moving into the 17th century, the name appears in various records, including the Visitation of Norfolk from 1613, which mentions a family of Harlings who were members of the landed gentry in the county. Additionally, a Robert Harling is listed as a member of the Virginia Company, which was responsible for the establishment of the Virginia colony in North America in the early 1600s.
The surname "Harling" has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history, including the 19th century English author and poet Robert Harling (1810-1896), and the 20th century Australian politician and member of parliament, Frank Harling (1892-1962). The name has also been associated with various places, such as the village of Harling in Norfolk, which has retained its name since the 11th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harling
Among Census respondents with the surname Harling, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Harling 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 Harling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 838
- Black or African American23.6% · 288
- Two or more races3.6% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harling
Harling 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
#21,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,187
-95 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 2,387 places
2020
#21,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,222
+35 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Up 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,491 | 1,282 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,878 | 1,187 | 0.40 | -95 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 2,387 places |
| 2020 | #21,741 | 1,222 | 0.41 | +35 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 137 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 Harling 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 | #21,878 | #21,741 | 0.6% |
| Count | 1,187 | 1,222 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.41 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harling bearers went from 1,187 to 1,222 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,878 to #21,741.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harling
FAQ
Harling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harling?
Name Census estimates that about 1,401 living Americans carry the surname Harling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 244,650 residents.
How common is Harling?
Harling ranks #21,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,222 people with the surname Harling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Harling.
Has Harling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harling went from 1,187 recorded bearers to 1,222. That is an increase of 35 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,878 to #21,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Harling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harling, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Harling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (838 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Harling (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 Harling mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with a name derived from "hare" and "leah" (Old English for meadow). 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 Harling (0.41 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 Harling?
Want to know how many people have the surname Harling? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.