2000
#78,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Harborth
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Harberg or Hardbrecht.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 242 Americans carry the last name Harborth. That puts it at #93,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,416,340 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harborth 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
242
1 in 1,416,340
Census rank
#93,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
211
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 211 bearers of the surname Harborth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 93282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harborth, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harborth
The surname HARBORTH is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the late medieval period around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "har" meaning army or warrior, and "bord" meaning shield or protection, indicating that the name may have initially referred to a soldier or someone involved in military activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HARBORTH can be found in the historical records of the town of Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, dating back to the mid-16th century. Entries in the town's records mention individuals with the surname HARBORTH residing in the area during that time.
In the 17th century, the name HARBORTH appeared in various church records and legal documents across various regions of Germany, such as Brandenburg, Silesia, and Saxony. This suggests that the name had spread and become more widespread throughout the country.
A notable individual bearing the surname HARBORTH was Johann Friedrich Harborth (1711-1784), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. He was known for his work in moral philosophy and his contributions to the field of natural law.
Another individual of note was Carl Friedrich Harborth (1810-1879), a German architect and civil engineer. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and structures in Berlin during the 19th century, including the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the spelling of the name HARBORTH varied slightly in different regions, with variations such as "Harbordt" and "Harborth" being recorded in historical documents and records.
One of the oldest places associated with the surname HARBORTH is the village of Harborth, located in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. This small village, which dates back to the medieval period, may have served as the original place from which the surname originated, although the exact connection remains unclear.
Other notable individuals bearing the surname HARBORTH include Friedrich Harborth (1802-1875), a German botanist and naturalist known for his contributions to the study of plant taxonomy, and Karl Harborth (1861-1942), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harborth
Among Census respondents with the surname Harborth, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Harborth 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 Harborth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 19
- Two or more races4.7% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harborth
Harborth 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
#89,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
-18 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 10,520 places
2020
#93,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 211
+3 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78,549 | 226 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,069 | 208 | 0.07 | -18 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 10,520 places |
| 2020 | #93,282 | 211 | 0.07 | +3 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 4,213 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 Harborth 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 | #89,069 | #93,282 | -4.7% |
| Count | 208 | 211 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harborth bearers went from 208 to 211 (+1.4% change). The surname moved down 4,213 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,069 to #93,282.
FAQ
Harborth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harborth?
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the surname Harborth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,416,340 residents.
How common is Harborth?
Harborth ranks #93,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 211 people with the surname Harborth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Harborth.
Has Harborth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harborth went from 208 recorded bearers to 211. That is an increase of 3 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,069 to #93,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Harborth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harborth, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) 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 Harborth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harborth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (9.0%), 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 Harborth (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 Harborth mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Harberg or Hardbrecht. 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 Harborth (0.07 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 Harborth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.