2000
#33,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Harron
An English surname derived from a place in West Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 782 Americans carry the last name Harron. That puts it at #35,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 438,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harron 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 Harron with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
782
1 in 438,305
Census rank
#35,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
682
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 682 bearers of the surname Harron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harron, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harron
The surname Harron is believed to have originated in Ireland, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is thought to be a variant of the Irish Gaelic surname Ó hArráin, which means "descendant of Arran." Arran is a masculine given name derived from the Old Irish word "arán," meaning "bread."
During the Middle Ages, the name was found primarily in the northern counties of Ireland, particularly in the areas of Ulster and Donegal. It is believed to have been associated with families of Gaelic ancestry in those regions.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Harron can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The name appears in various spellings, such as O'Harran, O'Haran, and Haran, throughout the annals, which cover events from the 5th to the 16th centuries.
One notable bearer of the surname was Donough Harron, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and leader of the Harron clan in County Donegal. He is mentioned in several historical records from the late 1500s, including the Annals of the Four Masters, which document his involvement in conflicts with English forces during the Nine Years' War.
Another historical figure with the surname Harron was Henry Harron, an 18th-century Irish Catholic priest and philosopher. He was born in County Donegal in 1712 and served as a professor of philosophy at the Irish College in Paris. Harron wrote several works on philosophy and theology, including a treatise on the nature of the human soul.
In the 19th century, John Harron (1809-1877) was a prominent Irish-American businessman and politician in Philadelphia. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and was involved in various business ventures, including the construction of railroads and canals.
The surname Harron has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to Irish emigration. One notable bearer was James Harron (1858-1936), a Canadian politician and businessman from Ontario. He served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and was involved in the development of the mining industry in northern Ontario.
Overall, the surname Harron has a rich history rooted in Irish Gaelic culture, with early instances dating back to the Middle Ages. While primarily associated with Ireland, the name has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration and has been borne by notable individuals in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harron
Among Census respondents with the surname Harron, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Harron 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 Harron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 590
- Black or African American6.2% · 42
- Two or more races3.4% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harron
Harron 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
#37,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 593
-41 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 3,668 places
2020
#35,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 682
+89 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 2,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,876 | 634 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,544 | 593 | 0.20 | -41 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,668 places |
| 2020 | #35,521 | 682 | 0.23 | +89 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 2,023 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 Harron 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 | #37,544 | #35,521 | 5.4% |
| Count | 593 | 682 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.23 | 14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harron bearers went from 593 to 682 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 2,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,544 to #35,521.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harron
FAQ
Harron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harron?
Name Census estimates that about 782 living Americans carry the surname Harron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 438,305 residents.
How common is Harron?
Harron ranks #35,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 682 people with the surname Harron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Harron.
Has Harron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harron went from 593 recorded bearers to 682. That is an increase of 89 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #37,544 to #35,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Harron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harron, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Harron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (590 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Harron (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 Harron mean?
An English surname derived from a place in West Yorkshire, England. 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 Harron (0.23 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 Harron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.