2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Harritt
An English surname derived from the Old French personal name "Hare", meaning a hare or rabbit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Harritt. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harritt 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 Harritt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Harritt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harritt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harritt
The surname Harritt is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, with its roots tracing back to the Old English words "hara" meaning "hare" and "hyht" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a meadow frequented by hares or in a clearing where hares were commonly found.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Harritt can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which mentions a John Harehulle. This spelling variation likely evolved into the modern form of Harritt over time.
During the 15th century, the name appeared in records from Somerset, where a William Harytt was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1524. This entry provides evidence that the surname had already taken on a more recognizable spelling by that time.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Harritt surname was Sir John Harritt, a prominent landowner and military commander who lived in Kent during the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the defense of England against the Spanish Armada in 1588.
In the 17th century, the name Harritt gained prominence in the English county of Devon, where a family of that surname owned a substantial estate near the town of Crediton. One of the most illustrious members of this family was Sir Edward Harritt (1625-1701), who served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted for his service to the Crown.
Another individual of note was William Harritt (1680-1745), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Bristol who made significant contributions to the city's development. He funded the construction of several churches and schools, leaving a lasting legacy in the region.
Moving into the 18th century, the Harritt surname spread further across England, with notable individuals such as Captain James Harritt (1712-1789), a renowned naval officer who distinguished himself in several battles during the Seven Years' War.
As the surname continued to evolve and disperse throughout the British Isles, other notable individuals emerged, including the Scottish writer and poet, Robert Harritt (1798-1868), whose works explored the themes of nature and rural life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harritt
Among Census respondents with the surname Harritt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Harritt 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 Harritt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harritt
Harritt 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-29 bearers (-19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,976 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-19.3%) | Down 28,976 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,453 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 Harritt 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 | #138,304 | #145,757 | -5.4% |
| Count | 121 | 115 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harritt bearers went from 121 to 115 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,757.
FAQ
Harritt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harritt?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Harritt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Harritt?
Harritt ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Harritt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Harritt.
Has Harritt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harritt went from 121 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Harritt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harritt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Harritt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harritt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (6.1%), Black (2.6%). 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 Harritt (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 Harritt mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French personal name "Hare", meaning a hare or rabbit. 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 Harritt (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 share the surname Harritt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.