2000
#6,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Harrold
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by hares" or "hare hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,974 Americans carry the last name Harrold. That puts it at #7,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harrold 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 Harrold with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,909
Census rank
#7,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,338 bearers of the surname Harrold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrold, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harrold
The surname Harrold originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning hare and "hol(d)" meaning hollow or valley, suggesting the name may have referred to someone who lived in a valley where hares were plentiful.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with records showing variations like Harehull, Harehulle, and Harowhulle appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086. These early spellings reflect the name's geographical origins, likely referring to specific places inhabited by those who bore the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Harrold is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a Richard de Harehull is mentioned. This suggests the name was already well-established by the late 12th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name continued to evolve in spelling, with variations such as Harould, Harowold, and Harrold emerging. These changes reflect the gradual shift in pronunciation and spelling norms over time.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Harrold include Sir John Harrold (1470-1554), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was Francis Harrold (1615-1685), an English clergyman and author who served as Archdeacon of Bedford.
In the 19th century, William Harrold (1808-1882) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Chemistry. Emmeline Harrold (1853-1923) was a British writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education.
The surname Harrold has also been recorded in various parts of the United States, likely carried over by English immigrants. One notable American bearing the name was Charles Harrold (1856-1926), a businessman and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
While the surname Harrold has evolved in spelling over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era, reflecting the name's deep roots in English history and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harrold
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrold, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Harrold 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 Harrold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 3,346
- Black or African American14.0% · 607
- Two or more races4.6% · 201
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harrold
Harrold 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
#6,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,884
+229 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 192 places
2020
#7,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,338
-546 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,692 | 4,655 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,884 | 4,884 | 1.66 | +229 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 192 places |
| 2020 | #7,414 | 4,338 | 1.45 | -546 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 530 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 Harrold 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 | #6,884 | #7,414 | -7.7% |
| Count | 4,884 | 4,338 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.45 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harrold bearers went from 4,884 to 4,338 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 530 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,884 to #7,414.
FAQ
Harrold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harrold?
Name Census estimates that about 4,974 living Americans carry the surname Harrold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,909 residents.
How common is Harrold?
Harrold ranks #7,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,338 people with the surname Harrold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,974), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Harrold.
Has Harrold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harrold went from 4,884 recorded bearers to 4,338. That is a decrease of 546 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,884 to #7,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Harrold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrold, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Harrold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (3,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harrold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Harrold (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 Harrold mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by hares" or "hare hill." 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 Harrold (1.45 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 surname Harrold?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.