2000
#9,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Harnish
Of German origin, referring to someone who made or sold armor or other metal equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,378 Americans carry the last name Harnish. That puts it at #10,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,467 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harnish 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
3.4K
1 in 101,467
Census rank
#10,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,946 bearers of the surname Harnish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harnish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harnish
The surname HARNISH is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the region of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Harnisch," which referred to a type of armor or coat of mail worn by soldiers and knights. The name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who worked as an armorer or craftsman creating such armor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 15th century church registry from the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Harnisch was listed as a resident. This suggests that the name had already been established in this area by that time. In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the name Harnisch living in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which was known for its skilled metalworkers and armorers.
The name HARNISH also appears in several historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as tax records and land deeds from various regions of Germany. It is likely that the spelling variations, such as Harnisch, Harnish, and Harnisch, were due to regional dialects and differences in record-keeping practices.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Johann Harnisch, a German composer and organist who lived from 1680 to 1739. He was renowned for his church music and served as the organist at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, a position previously held by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Another figure of historical significance was Gottlieb Harnisch, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1742 to 1819. He was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement and authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, a German immigrant named Wilhelm Harnisch settled in the United States, establishing a family line in Pennsylvania. His son, Frederick Harnisch, born in 1841, became a respected lawyer and political figure, serving as a judge and later as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.
Another notable individual was Anna Harnisch, a German-born artist who lived from 1872 to 1945. She was known for her intricate woodblock prints and etchings, many of which depicted scenes from rural German life and folklore.
It is worth noting that the name HARNISH has also been found in various other European countries, such as Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, suggesting that it may have spread from its German origins to other regions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harnish
Among Census respondents with the surname Harnish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Harnish 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 Harnish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,740
- Two or more races2.9% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harnish
Harnish 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
#10,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,175
+23 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 701 places
2020
#10,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,946
-229 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 246 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,463 | 3,152 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,164 | 3,175 | 1.08 | +23 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 701 places |
| 2020 | #10,410 | 2,946 | 0.99 | -229 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 246 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 Harnish 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 | #10,164 | #10,410 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,175 | 2,946 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.99 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harnish bearers went from 3,175 to 2,946 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 246 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,164 to #10,410.
FAQ
Harnish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harnish?
Name Census estimates that about 3,378 living Americans carry the surname Harnish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,467 residents.
How common is Harnish?
Harnish ranks #10,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,946 people with the surname Harnish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Harnish.
Has Harnish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harnish went from 3,175 recorded bearers to 2,946. That is a decrease of 229 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,164 to #10,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Harnish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harnish, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Harnish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harnish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Harnish (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 Harnish mean?
Of German origin, referring to someone who made or sold armor or other metal equipment. 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 Harnish (0.99 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 are called Harnish?
Find out how many people have the surname Harnish on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.