2000
#5,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Uncommon Last name
Haro
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Haro.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,378 Americans carry the last name Haro. That puts it at #3,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haro 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
13K
1 in 25,621
Census rank
#3,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,666 bearers of the surname Haro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haro
The surname HARO originated in Spain, specifically in the northern region of Cantabria. It traces its roots back to the 9th century and the Old Spanish word "haro," which meant "boundary marker" or "frontier."
The name is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly the village of Haro or the nearby Monastery of Santa María la Real de Haro, both located in the province of La Rioja. The earliest recorded instances of the surname HARO can be found in medieval documents from the 11th and 12th centuries.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Lope Díaz de Haro, a powerful nobleman and ruler of Vizcaya in the 13th century. His son, Diego López de Haro, was a prominent figure during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castile and León, serving as his trusted advisor and ambassador.
In the 14th century, Juan Núñez de Lara y Haro, a member of the powerful Lara family, was granted the title of Count of Haro by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This further solidified the surname's association with the region and its nobility.
Another notable figure bearing the HARO name was Pedro Fernández de Haro, a 15th-century Spanish military commander who played a significant role in the conquest of the Canary Islands. He was appointed as the first governor of the islands by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella.
During the colonial era, the HARO surname spread to the Americas, particularly to Mexico and other Spanish territories. One prominent individual was Pedro de Haro, a Spanish explorer and soldier who participated in the conquest of Nueva Galicia (present-day western Mexico) in the 16th century.
Throughout history, the HARO surname has been associated with nobility, military prowess, and exploration, reflecting its roots in the frontier regions of northern Spain and the influence of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haro
Among Census respondents with the surname Haro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Haro 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 Haro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.7% · 10,585
- White7.0% · 822
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 111
- Black or African American0.7% · 80
- Two or more races0.4% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haro
Haro 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
#3,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,547
+5,945 bearers (+106.1%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Up 2,560 places
2020
#3,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,666
+119 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,682 | 5,602 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,122 | 11,547 | 3.91 | +5,945 bearers (+106.1%) | Up 2,560 places |
| 2020 | #3,010 | 11,666 | 3.90 | +119 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 112 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 Haro 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 | #3,122 | #3,010 | 3.6% |
| Count | 11,547 | 11,666 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.90 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haro bearers went from 11,547 to 11,666 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,122 to #3,010.
FAQ
Haro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haro?
Name Census estimates that about 13,378 living Americans carry the surname Haro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,621 residents.
How common is Haro?
Haro ranks #3,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.90 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 11,666 people with the surname Haro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.90 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 Haro.
Has Haro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haro went from 11,547 recorded bearers to 11,666. That is an increase of 119 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,122 to #3,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Haro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Haro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (10,585 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.7%), White (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Haro (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 Haro mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Haro. 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 Haro (3.90 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 Haro?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.