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

Harold, 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 Harold surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harold in America

Harold is the 5651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harold surname appeared 6,141 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 Harold.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harold 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 Harold

The surname HAROLD originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Hereweald, which is composed of the elements "here" meaning army and "weald" meaning ruler or leader. The name was likely given to someone who commanded troops or held a position of authority within a military force.

Early recordings of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Heralt and Herewald. These entries indicate that the name was present in various counties across England, including Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Norfolk.

During the Middle Ages, the name evolved into various spellings such as Harold, Harrold, and Harrolde. These variations were influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname HAROLD was William Harold, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199. Another notable figure was Robert Harold, a landowner in Lincolnshire, whose name appears in the Charter Rolls of 1227.

In the 14th century, the surname HAROLD gained prominence with the birth of Sir John Harold (c. 1320 - 1385), a knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. His exploits were recorded in the chronicles of the time, and his descendants continued to use the surname.

Another famous bearer of the name was William Harold (1561 - 1627), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Bedford. He was known for his contributions to the study of antiquities and his writings on religious subjects.

During the 17th century, the HAROLD surname was also associated with the prominent Harold family of Norfolk. Richard Harold (1608 - 1658) was a Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.

As the centuries passed, the HAROLD surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with individuals from this lineage making their mark in various fields, including politics, academia, and the military.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harold

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

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

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

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