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

Harriman, 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 Harriman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harriman in America

Harriman is the 6694th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harriman surname appeared 5,045 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 Harriman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harriman 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 Harriman

The surname Harriman is of English origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Hampshire, derived from the Old English words "hær" meaning army or warrior, and "mann" meaning man. As such, it was likely an occupational name given to a soldier or warrior.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Southampton, where a Thomas Harriman was christened in 1587. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Hampshire from 1628, which list a John Harriman as a resident of the village of Romsey.

In the 17th century, the Harriman family appears to have spread to other parts of southern England, with records showing bearers of the name in the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. One notable individual from this era was Edward Harriman (1631-1689), a merchant and ship owner from the port town of Poole.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw the Harriman name continuing to flourish, with several individuals achieving notable status. Among them was Benjamin Harriman (1756-1823), a prominent banker and financier in London. Another was Edward Avery Harriman (1848-1909), an American railroad executive and financier who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Other notable individuals with the surname Harriman include James Harriman (1820-1897), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Walter Harriman (1917-1998), an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Nigeria in the 1960s.

Throughout its history, the Harriman surname has also been recorded with various alternate spellings, such as Hariman, Haryman, and Harriman, reflecting the evolving nature of English spelling and pronunciation over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harriman

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

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

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

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