2000
#4,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.68
Rare Last name
Harwell
A locational surname derived from a place in Nottinghamshire, England, likely referring to a spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,754 Americans carry the last name Harwell. That puts it at #5,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,204 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harwell 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 Harwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,204
Census rank
#5,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,762 bearers of the surname Harwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harwell
The surname Harwell is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "hara" meaning "hare" and "well" meaning a spring or source of water, indicating that the name likely referred to a place where hares were found near a spring or stream.
One of the earliest records of the name Harwell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as a place name in Berkshire, England. This suggests that the surname may have derived from a habitation name, referring to someone who lived in the village of Harwell.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Harewelle, Harewell, and Harwelle, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Harwell was John Harwell, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
During the 16th century, the name Harwell was also associated with a place in Nottinghamshire, known as Harwell or Harwell Woodhouse. This may have contributed to the spread of the surname in that region.
Notable individuals with the surname Harwell include:
1. Sir Robert Harwell (c. 1420 - 1490), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1481.
2. William Harwell (1568 - 1641), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Thomas Harwell (1675 - 1738), an English mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the study of comets.
4. John Harwell (1793 - 1868), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia.
5. Richard Harwell (1915 - 1988), an American author and editor who specialized in Southern history and literature.
The surname Harwell has also been associated with various place names, such as Harwell village in Oxfordshire, Harwell parish in Berkshire, and Harwell Lea in Nottinghamshire, further reinforcing its connection to geographic locations in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Harwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Harwell 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 Harwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 5,359
- Black or African American11.3% · 764
- Two or more races4.7% · 317
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 247
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harwell
Harwell 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
#4,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,234
+15 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 349 places
2020
#5,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,762
-472 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,522 | 7,219 | 2.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,871 | 7,234 | 2.45 | +15 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 349 places |
| 2020 | #5,026 | 6,762 | 2.26 | -472 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 155 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 Harwell 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 | #4,871 | #5,026 | -3.2% |
| Count | 7,234 | 6,762 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.45 | 2.26 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harwell bearers went from 7,234 to 6,762 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,871 to #5,026.
FAQ
Harwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harwell?
Name Census estimates that about 7,754 living Americans carry the surname Harwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,204 residents.
How common is Harwell?
Harwell ranks #5,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 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 6,762 people with the surname Harwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,754), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 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 Harwell.
Has Harwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harwell went from 7,234 recorded bearers to 6,762. That is a decrease of 472 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,871 to #5,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Harwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Harwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (5,359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Harwell (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 Harwell mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Nottinghamshire, England, likely referring to a spring or stream. 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 Harwell (2.26 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 Harwell?
Find out how many people have the surname Harwell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.