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

Harsch, 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 Harsch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harsch in America

Harsch is the 22346th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harsch surname appeared 1,153 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Harsch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harsch 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 Harsch

The surname Harsch originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "harsch" meaning harsh, rough, or severe. This surname was likely first adopted as a descriptive nickname for someone with a stern or austere demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Harsch surname dates back to the early 15th century in the town of Nuremberg, Bavaria. A merchant named Hans Harsch was mentioned in local records from around 1420. The name also appeared in various forms such as Harsche, Harschius, and Harschin in various regions of Germany during this time period.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Christoph Harsch (1515-1577) was a Protestant theologian and reformer from Saxony. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a role in the Protestant Reformation.

The Harsch surname can also be traced back to places like Harschkamp, a village in Lower Saxony, which suggests the name may have originated from a geographical location in some cases.

During the 18th century, Johann Gottlob Harsch (1744-1795) was a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.

Another prominent individual with the Harsch surname was Joseph Harsch (1905-1998), an American journalist and author who covered World War II and served as a White House correspondent for several news organizations.

Throughout its history, the Harsch surname has been found in various regions of Germany, as well as in countries like Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Eastern Europe where German immigrants settled over the centuries. Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the name Harsch has left its mark on history through notable individuals in fields such as religion, science, and journalism.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harsch

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!