2000
#5,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Harold
Derived from an Old English personal name composed of the elements "here" (army) and "weald" (ruler).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,541 Americans carry the last name Harold. That puts it at #5,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harold 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 Harold with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,401
Census rank
#5,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,704 bearers of the surname Harold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harold, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harold
Among Census respondents with the surname Harold, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Harold 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 Harold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 3,783
- Black or African American23.7% · 1,351
- Two or more races4.2% · 241
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harold
Harold 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
#5,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,141
-287 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 643 places
2020
#5,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,704
-437 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,008 | 6,428 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,651 | 6,141 | 2.08 | -287 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 643 places |
| 2020 | #5,842 | 5,704 | 1.91 | -437 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 191 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 Harold 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 | #5,651 | #5,842 | -3.4% |
| Count | 6,141 | 5,704 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.91 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harold bearers went from 6,141 to 5,704 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,651 to #5,842.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harold
FAQ
Harold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harold?
Name Census estimates that about 6,541 living Americans carry the surname Harold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,401 residents.
How common is Harold?
Harold ranks #5,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 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 5,704 people with the surname Harold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 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 Harold.
Has Harold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harold went from 6,141 recorded bearers to 5,704. That is a decrease of 437 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,651 to #5,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Harold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harold, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Harold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (3,783 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Black (23.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Harold (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 Harold mean?
Derived from an Old English personal name composed of the elements "here" (army) and "weald" (ruler). 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 Harold (1.91 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 Harold?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.