2000
#27,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Rare Last name
Haris
A surname indicating one's origin from the city of Harar in Ethiopia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,046 Americans carry the last name Haris. That puts it at #27,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 327,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haris 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 Haris with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 327,681
Census rank
#27,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
912
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 912 bearers of the surname Haris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haris, the largest self-reported group is White at 37.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.7%) and Black (22.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haris
The surname HARIS has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic name "Haris," which means "guardian" or "protector." The name can trace its roots back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic era.
The name HARIS first gained prominence in the region of Hejaz, which is now part of modern-day Saudi Arabia. It was common among the Arab tribes that inhabited the area, and it was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or played a role in protecting their communities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name HARIS can be found in the Umayyad-era manuscripts, which date back to the 7th and 8th centuries CE. These documents shed light on the lives of notable individuals bearing this name, some of whom were scholars, warriors, or members of the ruling elite.
In the 9th century, a prominent figure named Haris al-Muhasibi (781-857 CE) gained recognition as a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian. He was born in Basra, Iraq, and his works on spirituality and self-accountability had a significant impact on the development of Islamic thought.
Another notable bearer of the surname HARIS was Haris al-Bazzar (809-892 CE), a prominent Islamic scholar and hadith collector from Nishapur, Persia (modern-day Iran). His vast collection of hadith (sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad) became an important reference work in the field of Islamic jurisprudence.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from Baghdad between 750 and 1258 CE, the name HARIS was also found among individuals of high social standing. One such example is Haris al-Rashid (766-809 CE), a renowned caliph who presided over the golden age of the Abbasid Empire and patronized arts, literature, and scientific advancements.
As the Arab influence spread across the Middle East and North Africa, the name HARIS also found its way into other regions. In the 11th century, a notable figure named Haris al-Andalusi (1054-1109 CE) was born in Valencia, Spain, during the time of the Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula. He was a renowned poet and literary critic, and his works contributed significantly to the cultural renaissance of that era.
Throughout history, the surname HARIS has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, rulers, artists, and warriors. While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the Arabic word "Haris," reflecting its enduring legacy as a name that signifies protection and guardianship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haris
Among Census respondents with the surname Haris, the largest self-reported group is White at 37.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.7%) and Black (22.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Haris 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 Haris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White37.4% · 341
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.7% · 280
- Black or African American22.5% · 205
- Two or more races5.3% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haris
Haris 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
#21,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,242
+428 bearers (+52.6%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 6,658 places
2020
#27,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 912
-330 bearers (-26.6%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 6,766 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,802 | 814 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,144 | 1,242 | 0.42 | +428 bearers (+52.6%) | Up 6,658 places |
| 2020 | #27,910 | 912 | 0.31 | -330 bearers (-26.6%) | Down 6,766 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 Haris 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 | #21,144 | #27,910 | -32.0% |
| Count | 1,242 | 912 | -26.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.31 | -27.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haris bearers went from 1,242 to 912 (-26.6% change). The surname moved down 6,766 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,144 to #27,910.
FAQ
Haris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haris?
Name Census estimates that about 1,046 living Americans carry the surname Haris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 327,681 residents.
How common is Haris?
Haris ranks #27,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 912 people with the surname Haris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Haris.
Has Haris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haris went from 1,242 recorded bearers to 912. That is a decrease of 330 (-26.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,144 to #27,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Haris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haris, the largest self-reported group is White at 37.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.7%) and Black (22.5%). 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 Haris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.4% (341 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (37.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (30.7%), Black (22.5%). 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 Haris (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 Haris mean?
A surname indicating one's origin from the city of Harar in Ethiopia. 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 Haris (0.31 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 Haris?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Haris? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.