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

Harney, 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 Harney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harney in America

Harney is the 6341st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harney surname appeared 5,376 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Harney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harney 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 Harney

The surname Harney is of Anglo-Norman origin and is believed to have originated in England during the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "harengs," which means "herrings," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational name for a fish merchant or fishmonger who dealt in herrings.

One of the earliest records of the Harney surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Hareng." This entry indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the late 11th century.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Harneye, Harney, and Herney. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in written records during the Middle Ages.

One notable bearer of the Harney surname was Sir John Harney (c. 1350-1412), an English soldier who served under King Henry IV and fought in the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Another prominent individual was William Harney (1798-1889), a United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the Seminole Wars.

In the 16th century, the Harney family established themselves in Ireland, and the name can be found in various records from that period. One example is Sir John Harney (c. 1560-1623), an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament for County Westmeath.

Other notable figures with the Harney surname include Benjamin Morgan Harney (1827-1909), an American politician and businessman who served as the 21st Mayor of New Orleans, and William Wallace Harney (1825-1892), an American military officer who participated in the American Civil War.

Throughout history, the Harney surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Harney County in Oregon, which was named after William S. Harney, a military officer who served during the Indian Wars.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harney

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

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

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

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