2000
#2,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.13
Uncommon Last name
Harwood
From the English place name, referring to someone who lived near a road through a wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,419 Americans carry the last name Harwood. That puts it at #3,254 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harwood 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 Harwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,599
Census rank
#3,254
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,830 bearers of the surname Harwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3254th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harwood
The surname Harwood has its roots in England, originating in the late 11th or early 12th century. It is a locational name derived from various places in England called Harwood, meaning "the hare wood" or "the wood frequented by hares." The name likely originated in areas where these woodlands were located, such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Northumberland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Harwood can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a person named Willelmus de Harewode. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, also contains references to places with similar names, such as Harewood in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
In the 13th century, the surname Harwood appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentioned individuals named Harewode in counties like Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also recorded several instances of the surname in different spellings, such as Harwode and Harewode.
Notable historical figures with the surname Harwood include John Harwood (c. 1512-1554), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Hereford during the reign of Edward VI. Another prominent individual was Sir Edward Harwood (1598-1663), an English politician who served as a member of the House of Commons during the English Civil War.
In the literary realm, Sir John Harwood (1589-1653) was an English poet and translator, known for his translations of works by Virgil and Ovid. Sir Nathaniel Harwood (1662-1711) was a notable English merchant and landowner in the West Indies, who played a significant role in the early colonization of the Bahamas.
Sir Robert Harwood (1718-1779) was a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the American Revolutionary War, particularly in the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781. His actions contributed to the eventual surrender of British forces at Yorktown, marking a pivotal moment in the conflict.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Harwood who made notable contributions throughout history, reflecting the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Harwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Harwood 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 Harwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 9,669
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 436
- Two or more races3.5% · 384
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 148
- Black or African American1.1% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harwood
Harwood 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
#3,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,238
+100 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#3,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,830
-408 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.62
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,973 | 11,138 | 4.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,212 | 11,238 | 3.81 | +100 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #3,254 | 10,830 | 3.62 | -408 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 42 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 Harwood 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 | #3,212 | #3,254 | -1.3% |
| Count | 11,238 | 10,830 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.81 | 3.62 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harwood bearers went from 11,238 to 10,830 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,212 to #3,254.
FAQ
Harwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harwood?
Name Census estimates that about 12,419 living Americans carry the surname Harwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,599 residents.
How common is Harwood?
Harwood ranks #3,254 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,830 people with the surname Harwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Harwood.
Has Harwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harwood went from 11,238 recorded bearers to 10,830. That is a decrease of 408 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,212 to #3,254.
What does the Census say about the background of Harwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Harwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (9,669 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Harwood (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 Harwood mean?
From the English place name, referring to someone who lived near a road through a wood. 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 Harwood (3.62 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 surname Harwood?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.