2000
#9,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,019
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Hartshorn
A surname derived from a maker or seller of hart's horn, a substance formerly used in medicines and foods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,405 Americans carry the last name Hartshorn. That puts it at #10,321 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartshorn 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 Hartshorn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,662
Census rank
#10,321
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,969 bearers of the surname Hartshorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10321st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartshorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartshorn
The surname Hartshorn is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "heorot" meaning "hart" or male red deer, and "horn". It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who worked with or traded in the antlers of deer, which were used to make various items like handles, combs, and powders for medicinal purposes.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Robert Hertshorn, mentioned in the Worcestershire Assize Rolls of 1221. The surname also appeared in various forms like Herteshorn, Hertishorne, and Hertshorne in medieval records across counties like Staffordshire, Berkshire, and Warwickshire.
In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, there is a reference to a place called "Hertesburne" in Dorset, which may have been an early spelling variation of the name or a location from which the surname derived its origins.
Notable individuals with the surname Hartshorn throughout history include Thomas Hartshorn (c.1530-1585), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Norwich, and John Hartshorn (1650-1718), a prominent Quaker minister and author from Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
In the 17th century, William Hartshorn (1637-1683) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Moving forward, Elizabeth Hartshorn (1780-1854) was a British author and educator who wrote several influential works on early childhood education and the treatment of children in educational settings.
Lastly, George Hartshorn (1822-1898) was an American politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1878, during a period of rapid growth and development in the city.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartshorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartshorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartshorn 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 Hartshorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,678
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 117
- Two or more races3.6% · 107
- Black or African American1.2% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartshorn
Hartshorn 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
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,101
+82 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 525 places
2020
#10,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
-132 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,866 | 3,019 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,391 | 3,101 | 1.05 | +82 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 525 places |
| 2020 | #10,321 | 2,969 | 0.99 | -132 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 70 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 Hartshorn 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 | #10,391 | #10,321 | 0.7% |
| Count | 3,101 | 2,969 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.99 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartshorn bearers went from 3,101 to 2,969 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,391 to #10,321.
FAQ
Hartshorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartshorn?
Name Census estimates that about 3,405 living Americans carry the surname Hartshorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,662 residents.
How common is Hartshorn?
Hartshorn ranks #10,321 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,969 people with the surname Hartshorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,405), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hartshorn.
Has Hartshorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartshorn went from 3,101 recorded bearers to 2,969. That is a decrease of 132 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,391 to #10,321.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartshorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartshorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hartshorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartshorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hartshorn (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 Hartshorn mean?
A surname derived from a maker or seller of hart's horn, a substance formerly used in medicines and foods. 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 Hartshorn (0.99 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 have the last name Hartshorn?
Find out how many people are called Hartshorn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.