2000
#462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.14
Uncommon Last name
Harrington
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement on stony ground" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 73,132 Americans carry the last name Harrington. That puts it at #515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,687 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harrington 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 Harrington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
73K
1 in 4,687
Census rank
#515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,775 bearers of the surname Harrington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harrington
The surname Harrington originates from England, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning hare and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, referring to a place where hares were found in abundance.
The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Harintone, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This entry suggests that the name was initially associated with a place called Harington or Harrington in Northamptonshire.
Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Harington, Haryngton, and Haryngeton. The name was also linked to various place names, such as Harington in Lincolnshire and Harrington in Cumberland (now part of Cumbria).
Notable individuals with the surname Harrington include Sir John Harington (1561-1612), an English courtier, author, and inventor who is credited with introducing the flush toilet to England. Another prominent figure was Henry Harrington (1608-1658), an English civil war soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the Commonwealth period.
In the 18th century, Robert Harrington (1715-1784) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1771 to 1778. Meanwhile, Reverend Henry Harrington (1727-1816) was an English clergyman and author known for his work on the history of Cheshire.
Moving into the 19th century, Sir John Harrington (1785-1858) was a British naval officer and explorer who conducted surveys in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Additionally, Lord Sidney Harrington (1810-1892) was a British nobleman and Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
Throughout its history, the Harrington surname has been represented across various sectors, including literature, politics, exploration, and military service, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harrington
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Harrington 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 Harrington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 50,488
- Black or African American12.1% · 7,689
- Two or more races4.0% · 2,575
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 536
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 363
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harrington
Harrington 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
#500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,959
+1,828 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 22.70
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,775
-3,184 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 21.34
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #462 | 65,131 | 24.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #500 | 66,959 | 22.70 | +1,828 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #515 | 63,775 | 21.34 | -3,184 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 15 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 Harrington 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 | #500 | #515 | -3.0% |
| Count | 66,959 | 63,775 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 22.70 | 21.34 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harrington bearers went from 66,959 to 63,775 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #500 to #515.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harrington
FAQ
Harrington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harrington?
Name Census estimates that about 73,132 living Americans carry the surname Harrington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,687 residents.
How common is Harrington?
Harrington ranks #515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,775 people with the surname Harrington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (73,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Harrington.
Has Harrington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harrington went from 66,959 recorded bearers to 63,775. That is a decrease of 3,184 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #500 to #515.
What does the Census say about the background of Harrington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Harrington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (50,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harrington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Harrington (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 Harrington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement on stony ground" in Old English. 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 Harrington (21.34 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 share the surname Harrington?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.