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

Harmer, 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 Harmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harmer in America

Harmer is the 12362nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harmer surname appeared 2,515 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Harmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harmer 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 Harmer

The surname Harmer is an occupational name of English origin, derived from the Old English word "haremere," which means a person who hunted or drove hares. It first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Haremer" in Essex and Suffolk counties.

The name likely originated in the rural areas of eastern England, where hunting and trapping hares were common occupations during the Middle Ages. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Harmer, with variations such as Harmar and Harmore also being recorded.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this surname was William Harmer, who lived in Buckinghamshire in the 13th century. Another notable figure was John Harmer, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in records from the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the parish records of several English counties, including Hertfordshire, Essex, and Sussex. One prominent individual from this period was Richard Harmer (c. 1535-1610), a clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Winchester Cathedral.

During the 17th century, the Harmer family established themselves in various parts of England, with branches appearing in counties such as Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Lancashire. One notable figure from this time was Sir John Harmer (1620-1689), a wealthy landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.

In the 18th century, the name continued to spread across England, with individuals bearing the surname appearing in records from counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Somerset. One significant individual from this period was Thomas Harmer (1715-1788), a renowned biblical scholar and author who published several works on the interpretation of the Old Testament.

As the British Empire expanded, the Harmer surname also found its way to other parts of the world. One notable figure was William Harmer (1786-1853), a surveyor and explorer who worked for the East India Company and helped map parts of India and Southeast Asia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harmer

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

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

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

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