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

Harte, 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 Harte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harte in America

Harte is the 10068th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harte surname appeared 3,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Harte.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harte 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 Harte

The surname Harte is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "heorot," which means "hart" or "stag." This suggests that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who bore some resemblance to a stag or had a particular association with these animals.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Harte can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1194, where it appears as "Heruic Hert." This document lists individuals who paid taxes to the Crown during the reign of King Richard I. The name is also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1273, where it is spelled as "Hert."

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Thomas Harte, who lived in the 14th century and was a notable figure in the court of King Edward III. He served as a knight and was granted lands in Hertfordshire, which may have influenced the spelling of the name to its modern form.

In the 15th century, the Harte family established themselves in the county of Kent, where they owned several estates and manors. A prominent member of this family was Sir Walter Harte, who was born in 1460 and served as a Member of Parliament for Kent in 1491.

During the Tudor period, the Harte surname gained further recognition with individuals like Richard Harte, a merchant and philanthropist who was born in London in 1512. He was a benefactor of the Merchant Taylors' Company and contributed to the founding of several schools and charitable institutions.

Another notable figure was Sir John Harte, who lived in the 16th century and was a member of the Privy Council under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and was involved in the negotiations with Scotland during the reign of King James VI.

In the 17th century, the Harte family produced several prominent clergymen and scholars, including Henry Harte, who was born in 1629 and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1689 to 1693.

Later, in the 18th century, the Harte surname was associated with the literary world, with writers such as Walter Harte, who was born in 1709 and is known for his poetic works and essays on various topics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harte

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

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

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

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