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

Harlowe, 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 Harlowe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harlowe in America

Harlowe is the 90113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harlowe surname appeared 205 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 Harlowe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harlowe 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 Harlowe

The surname Harlowe has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period around the 11th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the town of Harlow in Essex, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Herlaua".

The name Harlow itself is thought to come from the Old English words "hara" meaning hare and "hlaw" meaning hill, suggesting it was originally a descriptive name for a hilly area inhabited by hares. The spelling variations of the surname over the centuries include Harlowe, Harloe, Harlow, and Herlowe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Harlowe can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from 1194, where a Robert de Herlaua is mentioned. In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Essex, with a Simon de Herlawe listed as a landowner in the county.

During the Middle Ages, the Harlowe surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, and Middlesex, where the ancestral town of Harlow was located. Notable individuals from this period include John Harlowe, who served as a member of the Parliament of England in 1381, representing the borough of Maldon in Essex.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Harlowe family established themselves in the county of Suffolk, where they became influential landowners and members of the gentry. One prominent figure was Sir Robert Harlowe (1512-1584), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Suffolk, who held the manor of Depden in that county.

Moving into the 17th century, the Harlowe name gained further prominence with the birth of Humphrey Harlowe (1609-1667), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of St Albans. His contemporaries included Thomas Harlowe (1616-1691), a merchant and philanthropist who endowed a grammar school in his hometown of Harlow, Essex.

As the centuries progressed, the Harlowe surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with families of note including the Harlowes of Staffordshire and the Harlowes of Yorkshire. Individuals such as John Harlowe (1786-1858), a renowned architect from London, and William Harlowe (1835-1902), a noted theologian and author from Shropshire, further added to the legacy of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harlowe

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

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

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

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