2000
#2,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.93
Uncommon Last name
Harp
An English occupational surname for a player of the harp or someone who makes harps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,053 Americans carry the last name Harp. That puts it at #2,681 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,770 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harp 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 Harp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,770
Census rank
#2,681
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,127 bearers of the surname Harp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2681st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harp, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harp
The surname Harp originates from England and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "hearpere," which translates to "a harper" or a person who played the harp, a stringed musical instrument. The name was likely a nickname initially given to someone whose profession or skill was playing the harp.
In medieval England, harpists were highly regarded and often employed by nobility and the clergy. They played a significant role in court entertainments and religious ceremonies. The earliest recorded instances of the name Harp can be found in various historical documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the late 12th century, where a person named Richard le Harpur is mentioned.
The Harp surname is also closely associated with certain geographical locations in England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name are linked to places like Harpsden in Oxfordshire and Harbury in Warwickshire, suggesting that the name may have originated from these areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Harp throughout history include William Harp, a 14th-century English landowner from Gloucestershire, who is mentioned in the Feet of Fines records from 1347. Another prominent figure was John Harp, a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century (born around 1530, died in 1598).
In the 17th century, Thomas Harp (1624-1693) was a renowned English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. During the same period, Robert Harp (1643-1699) was a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland.
In the 18th century, John Harp (1742-1826) was a distinguished English painter and engraver, known for his landscape paintings and engravings of historical events. He was born in Nottinghamshire and spent most of his career in London.
Throughout its history, the Harp surname has been subject to various spellings, such as Harpe, Harpur, Harper, and Harpour, reflecting the regional variations and changing orthography of the English language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harp
Among Census respondents with the surname Harp, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Harp 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 Harp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 10,415
- Black or African American10.8% · 1,418
- Two or more races4.7% · 621
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 446
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harp
Harp 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
#2,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,646
+351 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 4.63
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#2,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,127
-519 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.39
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,484 | 13,295 | 4.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,638 | 13,646 | 4.63 | +351 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #2,681 | 13,127 | 4.39 | -519 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 43 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 Harp 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 | #2,638 | #2,681 | -1.6% |
| Count | 13,646 | 13,127 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.63 | 4.39 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harp bearers went from 13,646 to 13,127 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,638 to #2,681.
FAQ
Harp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harp?
Name Census estimates that about 15,053 living Americans carry the surname Harp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,770 residents.
How common is Harp?
Harp ranks #2,681 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,127 people with the surname Harp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,053), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Harp.
Has Harp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harp went from 13,646 recorded bearers to 13,127. That is a decrease of 519 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,638 to #2,681.
What does the Census say about the background of Harp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harp, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Harp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (10,415 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Harp (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 Harp mean?
An English occupational surname for a player of the harp or someone who makes harps. 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 Harp (4.39 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 common is the surname Harp?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Harp, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.