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

Harton, 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 Harton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harton in America

Harton is the 15800th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harton surname appeared 1,843 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 Harton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harton 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 Harton

The surname Harton has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hara" and "tun," which together mean "a hare enclosure" or "a hare farmstead." This suggests that the name may have originally belonged to someone who lived in a settlement or town where hares were abundant or where hare hunting was prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Harton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, including Haretun and Haretone, indicating the variations that existed in written records during that time.

In the 12th century, the name Harton appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which were administrative records of the county's financial affairs. This suggests that individuals bearing the name were present and held some significance in that region.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Harton has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Sir William Harton, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Another Harton of note was John Harton, born in 1568, who served as the Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 17th century.

The name Harton is also linked to certain place names in England. For instance, Harton Village in County Durham and Harton Moor in Northumberland are believed to have derived their names from the surname, indicating the presence of Harton families in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Harton include:

1. Robert Harton (1546-1616), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford.
2. Thomas Harton (1678-1745), an English mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
3. Elizabeth Harton (1720-1798), a British philanthropist and social reformer known for her work in establishing schools and charitable organizations.
4. George Harton (1822-1891), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of Western Australia.
5. Emily Harton (1876-1958), an American artist and painter who was celebrated for her landscapes and portraits, particularly those depicting life in the American Southwest.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harton

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Harton, 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!