2000
#11,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,390
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Harvin
Derived from a place name meaning "army stone" or "heap of stones" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,923 Americans carry the last name Harvin. That puts it at #11,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harvin 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.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,261
Census rank
#11,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,549 bearers of the surname Harvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harvin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harvin
The surname HARVIN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hærfest," which means "harvest." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a harvester or farmer.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HARVIN can be found in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, there are mentions of individuals with the surname HARVIN in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1273 and the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279.
In the 16th century, the surname HARVIN appeared in various spellings, such as Harvyn, Harveyn, and Harvine, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that time. One notable individual with this surname was William Harvine, a merchant from London who was granted a coat of arms in 1568.
The HARVIN surname can also be traced to various place names in England, such as Harvin in Dorset and Harvington in Worcestershire. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname in different regions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname HARVIN. One example is Sir John Harvin (1591-1667), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in the 17th century. Another is Thomas Harvin (1663-1735), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works during his lifetime.
Other individuals with the HARVIN surname include:
1. Robert Harvin (1718-1792), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
2. Elizabeth Harvin (1792-1870), an English writer and poet known for her works on nature and rural life.
3. James Harvin (1823-1901), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow during the 19th century.
4. Henry Harvin (1856-1924), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Harvin Foundation for Education.
5. Margaret Harvin (1902-1988), a British artist and sculptor known for her abstract works and participation in the Modernist movement.
While the surname HARVIN may have evolved over time and been influenced by various factors, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely began as an occupational surname related to harvesting and farming.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Harvin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Harvin 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 Harvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.5% · 1,618
- White26.3% · 670
- Two or more races4.9% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harvin
Harvin 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
#11,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,793
+403 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 686 places
2020
#11,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,549
-244 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 447 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,994 | 2,390 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,308 | 2,793 | 0.95 | +403 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 686 places |
| 2020 | #11,755 | 2,549 | 0.85 | -244 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 447 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 Harvin 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 | #11,308 | #11,755 | -4.0% |
| Count | 2,793 | 2,549 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.85 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harvin bearers went from 2,793 to 2,549 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 447 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,308 to #11,755.
FAQ
Harvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harvin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,923 living Americans carry the surname Harvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,261 residents.
How common is Harvin?
Harvin ranks #11,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,549 people with the surname Harvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,923), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Harvin.
Has Harvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harvin went from 2,793 recorded bearers to 2,549. That is a decrease of 244 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,308 to #11,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Harvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harvin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Harvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.5% (1,618 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.5%), White (26.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Harvin (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 Harvin mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "army stone" or "heap of stones" in Old English. 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 Harvin (0.85 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 Harvin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.