2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Harmelin
A surname with origins related to a town or toponym in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Harmelin. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harmelin 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.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Harmelin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harmelin
The surname Harmelin originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "harmelin," which referred to a small weasel-like animal known as the ermine. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked with ermine pelts or fur.
Variations of the spelling include Harmelin, Hermelin, and Ermelin. The name is found in historical records from the 13th century onwards, particularly in the regions of Burgundy, Champagne, and Île-de-France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 1296 tax record from the town of Dijon, which mentions a "Jehan Harmelin." Another early reference is in the 1381 census rolls of Paris, listing a "Guillaume Hermelin."
In the 15th century, there is a record of a "Jacques Harmelin" who was a furrier and merchant in Lyon. This provides further evidence of the name's connection to the ermine trade.
Notable individuals with the surname Harmelin include:
1. Jean-Baptiste Harmelin (1673-1737), a French painter and engraver from Marseille.
2. François Harmelin (1708-1776), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Aix-en-Provence.
3. Pierre Harmelin (1800-1882), a French politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the National Assembly.
4. Eugène Harmelin (1840-1912), a French industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Harmelin Textile Company.
5. Olivier Harmelin (born 1966), a contemporary French author and playwright.
While the name Harmelin is not as common today, it has a rich history rooted in the medieval fur trade and has been borne by notable figures in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harmelin
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Harmelin 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 Harmelin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harmelin
Harmelin appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,317 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 Harmelin 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 | #154,907 | #153,590 | 0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 104 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harmelin bearers went from 105 to 104 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #153,590.
FAQ
Harmelin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harmelin?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Harmelin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Harmelin?
Harmelin ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Harmelin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Harmelin.
Has Harmelin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harmelin went from 105 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Harmelin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Harmelin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harmelin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Harmelin (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 Harmelin mean?
A surname with origins related to a town or toponym in Germany. 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 Harmelin (0.03 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 Harmelin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.