2000
#97,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Harnly
An English surname derived from a place name, likely related to a deer park or enclosed meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 221 Americans carry the last name Harnly. That puts it at #100,083 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,550,925 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harnly 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
221
1 in 1,550,925
Census rank
#100,083
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
193
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 193 bearers of the surname Harnly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100083rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harnly, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harnly
The surname Harnly is believed to have originated in the British Isles, likely in England or Scotland, during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname derived from a place name that incorporated the Old English elements "hær" meaning "rocky land" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing" or "meadow." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have hailed from a settlement situated in a rocky, wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Harnly surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Aelfric de Hernleia, whose name provides a glimpse into an early spelling variation of the surname.
During the 13th century, records show a Sir John de Herneleye, a knight who participated in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Edward I of England. In the late 15th century, a Robert Harnly is mentioned in the records of the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, indicating the presence of the surname in that region as well.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Harnly surname was Sir Thomas Harnly (c. 1520-1587), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire. Around the same time, the Harnly family established a presence in County Durham, where they held the estate of Harnly Hall.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir William Harnly (1642-1718), an English judge and legal scholar who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1709 until his death. He was known for his expertise in property law and his influential legal writings.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Harnly name was John Harnly (1795-1867), a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Australia and New Zealand during his expeditions in the region.
While the Harnly surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Hernly, Herneley, and Harneley, it has maintained its distinctive roots and association with the British Isles, particularly England and Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harnly
Among Census respondents with the surname Harnly, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Harnly 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 Harnly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 183
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 5
- Black or African American2.1% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harnly
Harnly 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
#107,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
-6 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 9,286 places
2020
#100,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
+27 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 7,051 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #97,848 | 172 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #107,134 | 166 | 0.06 | -6 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 9,286 places |
| 2020 | #100,083 | 193 | 0.06 | +27 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 7,051 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 Harnly 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 | #107,134 | #100,083 | 6.6% |
| Count | 166 | 193 | 16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harnly bearers went from 166 to 193 (+16.3% change). The surname moved up 7,051 positions in the national ranking, going from #107,134 to #100,083.
FAQ
Harnly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harnly?
Name Census estimates that about 221 living Americans carry the surname Harnly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,550,925 residents.
How common is Harnly?
Harnly ranks #100,083 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 193 people with the surname Harnly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Harnly.
Has Harnly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harnly went from 166 recorded bearers to 193. That is an increase of 27 (+16.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #107,134 to #100,083.
What does the Census say about the background of Harnly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harnly, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Harnly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (183 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harnly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (2.1%). 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 Harnly (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 Harnly mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, likely related to a deer park or enclosed meadow. 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 Harnly (0.06 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 Harnly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.