2000
#46,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Harmony
A surname derived from the concept of harmony, suggesting a harmonious or peaceful nature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 547 Americans carry the last name Harmony. That puts it at #47,869 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 626,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harmony 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
547
1 in 626,608
Census rank
#47,869
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
477
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 477 bearers of the surname Harmony in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47869th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmony, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harmony
The surname Harmony is of English origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hearmonie," which means "concord of sounds" or "agreement in pitch and tone." The name likely originated in rural areas of England, where families were often named after their occupations or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Harmony can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Chelmsford, Essex, England. In 1598, a man named John Harmony was listed as a resident of the parish. This suggests that the name may have been established in the area by that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Harmony began to spread to other parts of England. In 1637, a Thomas Harmony was recorded in the parish records of St. Botolph's Church in Aldgate, London. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Harmony, a merchant who lived in Bristol in the late 17th century.
As the name Harmony became more widespread, it also appeared in various historical documents and records. For instance, in the early 19th century, a man named James Harmony was listed as a landowner in the Enclosure Awards for the village of Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Harmony throughout history. One of the earliest was John Harmony (c. 1570-1640), an English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I. Another was Thomas Harmony (1789-1865), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1847 to 1857.
Other prominent bearers of the name include:
1. William Harmony (1831-1904), an American Civil War veteran and businessman from Ohio.
2. Elizabeth Harmony (1864-1938), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.
3. George Harmony (1901-1985), a South African cricketer who played Test cricket for the national team in the 1930s.
4. Robert Harmony (1924-2011), an American film producer and screenwriter best known for his work on the 1976 film "Marathon Man."
5. Sarah Harmony (born 1976), a Canadian novelist and short story writer whose works explore themes of identity and belonging.
While the surname Harmony is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harmony
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmony, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Harmony 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 Harmony surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 412
- Black or African American5.2% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 22
- Two or more races2.3% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harmony
Harmony 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
#44,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 482
+47 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 1,577 places
2020
#47,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 477
-5 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 3,293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,153 | 435 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #44,576 | 482 | 0.16 | +47 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 1,577 places |
| 2020 | #47,869 | 477 | 0.16 | -5 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 3,293 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 Harmony 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 | #44,576 | #47,869 | -7.4% |
| Count | 482 | 477 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.16 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harmony bearers went from 482 to 477 (-1.0% change). The surname moved down 3,293 positions in the national ranking, going from #44,576 to #47,869.
FAQ
Harmony surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harmony?
Name Census estimates that about 547 living Americans carry the surname Harmony. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 626,608 residents.
How common is Harmony?
Harmony ranks #47,869 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 477 people with the surname Harmony. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (547), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Harmony.
Has Harmony become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harmony went from 482 recorded bearers to 477. That is a decrease of 5 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #44,576 to #47,869.
What does the Census say about the background of Harmony?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmony, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Harmony in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harmony appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Harmony (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 Harmony mean?
A surname derived from the concept of harmony, suggesting a harmonious or peaceful nature. 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 Harmony (0.16 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 have the surname Harmony?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.