2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Harrenstein
A surname derived from a place name containing the German elements "harr" meaning "hill" and "stein" meaning "stone."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Harrenstein. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harrenstein 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Harrenstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harrenstein
The surname Harrenstein is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "haran" meaning "army" and "stein" meaning "stone" or "rock." This suggests the name may have been given to someone who lived near a large stone or rock formation where armies would gather.
One of the earliest known references to the name Harrenstein can be found in the records of the Electorate of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In these chronicles, a nobleman named Dietrich von Harrenstein is mentioned as having fought alongside the Teutonic Knights during the Prussian Crusades.
The Harrenstein name also appears in various legal documents and property records from the Rhineland region of Germany in the 14th and 15th centuries. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Harensteyn" or "Harenstain."
In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Harrenstein (1543-1618) was a renowned clockmaker and horologist in the city of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the era.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Johann Harrenstein (1678-1739), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Gotha. His compositions for organ and harpsichord were widely performed and admired during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, a German scientist named Karl Harrenstein (1815-1892) made significant contributions to the field of botany. He documented and catalogued numerous plant species native to the Black Forest region, publishing his findings in several influential texts.
Throughout its history, the Harrenstein surname has also been associated with various places and geographic features in Germany, such as the Harrenstein Castle in the Palatinate region and the Harrenstein mountain in the Harz range.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harrenstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Harrenstein 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 Harrenstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 113
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harrenstein
Harrenstein 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-20 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,347 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 22,347 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,076 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 Harrenstein 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 | #134,712 | #142,788 | -6.0% |
| Count | 125 | 119 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harrenstein bearers went from 125 to 119 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Harrenstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harrenstein?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Harrenstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Harrenstein?
Harrenstein ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Harrenstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Harrenstein.
Has Harrenstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harrenstein went from 125 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Harrenstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Harrenstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harrenstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Harrenstein (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 Harrenstein mean?
A surname derived from a place name containing the German elements "harr" meaning "hill" and "stein" meaning "stone." 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 Harrenstein (0.04 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 last name Harrenstein?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Harrenstein? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.