2000
#5,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Hartnett
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Ó hAirtnéada, meaning "descendant of Airtnéad" (a person's name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,980 Americans carry the last name Hartnett. That puts it at #5,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartnett 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 Hartnett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,105
Census rank
#5,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,087 bearers of the surname Hartnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartnett
The surname Hartnett originates from Ireland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "ard" meaning high or noble, and "neit" meaning a champion or warrior. The name was first found in County Cork, where the family was part of the Dalcassian sept.
In ancient Irish records, the name appears as "O'hArdnety" or "O'Hartnettie", indicating it was a prominent surname in the region. The earliest known record of the name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a medieval Irish chronicle, which mentions an O'Hartnettie as a member of the Dál gCais clan in the year 1171.
The Hartnett family played a role in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, with several members fighting alongside the Catholic Confederates against the English Parliamentarians. One notable figure was Sir Donough Hartnett, who commanded a regiment of foot soldiers during the siege of Limerick in 1651.
The surname can also be found in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which record land grants and appointments. In the 1630s, a John Hartnett was granted lands in County Cork by Charles I.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Hartnett family settled in the town of Millstreet, County Cork, where they became prominent landowners and merchants. One member, William Hartnett (1720-1795), served as the High Sheriff of County Cork in 1772.
Other notable individuals with the surname include:
1. Catherine Hartnett (1848-1910), an Irish-born American labor organizer and suffragist.
2. John Joseph Hartnett (1858-1926), an American prelate who served as the Bishop of Omaha from 1916 to 1923.
3. Cornelius Hartnett (1875-1944), an Irish politician and member of the First Dáil Éireann.
4. John Hartnett (1915-1975), an Irish hurler who played for Cork Senior Hurling Team and won three All-Ireland medals.
5. Peter Hartnett (born 1948), an Australian actor known for his roles in films such as "Breaker Morant" and "The Lighthorsemen".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartnett 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 Hartnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 5,537
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 238
- Two or more races3.0% · 183
- Black or African American1.0% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartnett
Hartnett 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
#5,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,387
+187 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 271 places
2020
#5,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,087
-300 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,179 | 6,200 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,450 | 6,387 | 2.17 | +187 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 271 places |
| 2020 | #5,514 | 6,087 | 2.04 | -300 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 64 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 Hartnett 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 | #5,450 | #5,514 | -1.2% |
| Count | 6,387 | 6,087 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.04 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartnett bearers went from 6,387 to 6,087 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,450 to #5,514.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hartnett
FAQ
Hartnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartnett?
Name Census estimates that about 6,980 living Americans carry the surname Hartnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,105 residents.
How common is Hartnett?
Hartnett ranks #5,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,087 people with the surname Hartnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hartnett.
Has Hartnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartnett went from 6,387 recorded bearers to 6,087. That is a decrease of 300 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,450 to #5,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hartnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (5,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hartnett (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 Hartnett mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Ó hAirtnéada, meaning "descendant of Airtnéad" (a person's name of unknown meaning). 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 Hartnett (2.04 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 Hartnett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.