2000
#823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,340
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.21
Uncommon Last name
Harding
Derived from a place name meaning "hard or strong fortification" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,828 Americans carry the last name Harding. That puts it at #899 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,820 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harding 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 Harding with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,820
Census rank
#899
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,220 bearers of the surname Harding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 899th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harding, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harding
The surname Harding is of Anglo-Saxon origin, originating in England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "harding," which means hardy or brave. The name was initially given as a nickname to someone who displayed these characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Harding can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hardingus." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Harding was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Several place names in these regions, such as Harding's Field and Harding's Farm, likely originated from individuals bearing this surname.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Walter Harding held the position of Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1235 to 1238. Another prominent individual was Thomas Harding, who served as the Lord Chancellor of England under King Richard III in the late 15th century.
The name Harding also has connections to the English Civil War. One of the most famous bearers of this surname was Sir Henry Harding, a Royalist army officer who fought for King Charles I. He was born in 1604 and died in 1669.
During the 19th century, a distinguished individual named John Harding became known as a renowned cartographer and mapmaker. He was born in 1805 and produced numerous detailed maps of counties and regions across England.
Another notable figure was Stephen Harding, a Cistercian monk who played a significant role in the establishment of the Cistercian Order in the 12th century. He was born around 1060 and is credited with founding the influential Cistercian monastery at Cîteaux in France.
Throughout history, the Harding surname has been associated with various professions, including clergy, military, cartography, and other fields. Its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, and it has maintained a presence in England and other parts of the English-speaking world for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harding
Among Census respondents with the surname Harding, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Harding 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 Harding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 29,716
- Black or African American13.0% · 4,957
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,597
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,367
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 292
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 291
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harding
Harding 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
#871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,787
+1,447 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 13.49
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,220
-1,567 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 12.79
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #823 | 38,340 | 14.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #871 | 39,787 | 13.49 | +1,447 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #899 | 38,220 | 12.79 | -1,567 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 28 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 Harding 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 | #871 | #899 | -3.2% |
| Count | 39,787 | 38,220 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 13.49 | 12.79 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harding bearers went from 39,787 to 38,220 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #871 to #899.
FAQ
Harding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harding?
Name Census estimates that about 43,828 living Americans carry the surname Harding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,820 residents.
How common is Harding?
Harding ranks #899 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,220 people with the surname Harding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Harding.
Has Harding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harding went from 39,787 recorded bearers to 38,220. That is a decrease of 1,567 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #871 to #899.
What does the Census say about the background of Harding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harding, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Harding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (29,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (13.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Harding (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 Harding mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hard or strong fortification" 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 Harding (12.79 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 common is the surname Harding?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Harding at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.