2000
#6,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Harness
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of horse harnesses and other leather goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,652 Americans carry the last name Harness. That puts it at #6,597 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harness 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Harness with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,643
Census rank
#6,597
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,929 bearers of the surname Harness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6597th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harness, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harness
The surname Harness is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hirse" meaning "a bristle or hair", and "hors" meaning "a horse". The name likely emerged in the 11th or 12th century and referred to a maker or seller of horse harnesses or trappings.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Harness dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 as "William le Herneyser". This early spelling variation highlights the occupation-based origins of the name.
Another early mention of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where it is recorded as "Robert le Harneys". This further solidifies the connection between the surname and the profession of harness-making.
In the 14th century, the surname was also recorded in various forms, such as "William le Harneysere" in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, and "Roger Herneys" in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1332.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Harness was Sir William Harness (1514-1567), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1554 and 1555. Another prominent individual was Sir Henry Harness (1623-1694), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Thetford in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the surname was also associated with several notable figures, including William Harness (1790-1869), an English writer and clergyman, and Henry Harness (1804-1884), an English theologian and author.
Another figure of note was Sir Henry Drury Harness (1804-1885), an English judge and legal writer, who served as a Justice of the Queen's Bench.
In the 19th century, the surname Harness was also associated with several noteworthy individuals, including John Harness (1824-1900), an English cricketer who played for Sussex and England, and George Harness (1861-1939), an English footballer who played for West Bromwich Albion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harness
Among Census respondents with the surname Harness, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Harness 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 Harness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 3,967
- Black or African American10.1% · 496
- Two or more races4.5% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 179
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harness
Harness 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
#6,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,371
+172 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#6,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,929
-442 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,091 | 5,199 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,346 | 5,371 | 1.82 | +172 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #6,597 | 4,929 | 1.65 | -442 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 251 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 Harness 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 | #6,346 | #6,597 | -4.0% |
| Count | 5,371 | 4,929 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.65 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harness bearers went from 5,371 to 4,929 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,346 to #6,597.
FAQ
Harness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harness?
Name Census estimates that about 5,652 living Americans carry the surname Harness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,643 residents.
How common is Harness?
Harness ranks #6,597 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,929 people with the surname Harness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,652), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Harness.
Has Harness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harness went from 5,371 recorded bearers to 4,929. That is a decrease of 442 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,346 to #6,597.
What does the Census say about the background of Harness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harness, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Harness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (3,967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Harness (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 Harness mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of horse harnesses and other leather goods. 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 Harness (1.65 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 Harness?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.