2000
#23,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,035
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Harmsen
Dutch surname meaning "son of Harm", derived from a Germanic personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,244 Americans carry the last name Harmsen. That puts it at #24,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 275,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harmsen 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
1.2K
1 in 275,526
Census rank
#24,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,085 bearers of the surname Harmsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harmsen
The surname Harmsen originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "herm," which means "boundary" or "boundary stone," indicating that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a boundary or border.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Harmsen can be found in Dutch parish records from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Harmsen, who was born in the Dutch town of Zwolle in 1587.
In the 17th century, the name Harmsen appeared in various Dutch records, including the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Pieter Harmsen, a Dutch merchant who was born in 1625 and traveled extensively throughout Europe.
As the Dutch established colonies in various parts of the world during the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Harmsen spread to other regions. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname Harmsen living in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during the 18th century.
Over time, the name Harmsen has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands. For instance, the village of Harmsen in the province of Overijssel is believed to have derived its name from the surname.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Harmsen was Willem Harmsen, a Dutch painter who lived from 1837 to 1923. He was known for his landscape paintings and was a member of the influential Hague School of painters.
Another famous bearer of the name was Karel Harmsen, a Dutch politician and journalist who lived from 1885 to 1955. He served as a member of the Dutch parliament and was also the editor-in-chief of the influential newspaper De Telegraaf.
In the 20th century, the name Harmsen has been associated with various fields, including literature and sports. One notable figure was Wim Harmsen, a Dutch writer and journalist who lived from 1924 to 2011 and was known for his novels and short stories.
In the world of sports, Joop Harmsen was a Dutch cyclist who competed in the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in the team pursuit event in 1964.
Overall, the surname Harmsen has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the Netherlands. While its origins can be traced back to the 16th century, the name has since spread to various parts of the world and has been associated with notable individuals in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harmsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Harmsen 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 Harmsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,018
- Two or more races2.6% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harmsen
Harmsen 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
#23,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,101
+66 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#24,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,085
-16 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 889 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,056 | 1,035 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,167 | 1,101 | 0.37 | +66 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #24,056 | 1,085 | 0.36 | -16 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 889 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 Harmsen 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 | #23,167 | #24,056 | -3.8% |
| Count | 1,101 | 1,085 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.36 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harmsen bearers went from 1,101 to 1,085 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 889 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,167 to #24,056.
FAQ
Harmsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harmsen?
Name Census estimates that about 1,244 living Americans carry the surname Harmsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 275,526 residents.
How common is Harmsen?
Harmsen ranks #24,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,085 people with the surname Harmsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Harmsen.
Has Harmsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harmsen went from 1,101 recorded bearers to 1,085. That is a decrease of 16 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,167 to #24,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Harmsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harmsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Harmsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,018 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harmsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Harmsen (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 Harmsen mean?
Dutch surname meaning "son of Harm", derived from a Germanic personal name. 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 Harmsen (0.36 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 Harmsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.