2000
#24
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 593,542
First available Census row
Per 100,000 220.02
Very Common Last name
Harris
An English surname derived from the given name Harry or Henry, or from a nickname meaning "son of Harry."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 691,901 Americans carry the last name Harris. That puts it at #26 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 201.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harris 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 Harris with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
692K
1 in 495
Census rank
#26
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
201.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
603K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 603,371 bearers of the surname Harris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 201.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harris, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (41.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harris
The surname Harris is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "hærfæst" which means "gray-haired" or "venerable." This name was originally a nickname given to someone with gray hair or an elderly person. It first appeared in England around the 12th century.
The Harris surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Devon and Somerset in southwest England. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which listed landowners and tenants in England during the reign of William the Conqueror.
In the 13th century, the Harris surname was documented in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and Somerset. During this period, the name was often spelled "Harrys" or "Harries." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of "Harris."
One of the earliest known individuals with the Harris surname was William Harris, a member of the Parliament of England who represented the borough of Southwark in 1330. Another notable figure was John Harris (c. 1516-1578), an English Protestant minister and Bible translator who was involved in the Geneva Bible translation.
In the 16th century, the Harris surname was associated with several place names in England, such as Harrisfield and Harristown. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that the Harris family had established settlements or properties in those areas.
During the 17th century, the Harris surname gained prominence with individuals like Robert Harris (1578-1658), an English Puritan clergyman and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Another notable figure was Thomas Harris (1619-1658), an English actor and playwright who was part of the English Renaissance theatre.
In the 18th century, James Harris (1709-1780) was a renowned English philosopher, grammarian, and philologist who wrote extensively on topics such as art, music, and language. He was a member of the famous Bluestocking Circle, a group of influential intellectuals in London.
The Harris surname continued to be prominent in various fields throughout history, with individuals like Townsend Harris (1804-1878), an American diplomat who played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan, and Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908), an American writer best known for his Uncle Remus stories featuring African American folktales.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harris
Among Census respondents with the surname Harris, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (41.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Harris 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 Harris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.2% · 297,024
- Black or African American41.0% · 247,603
- Two or more races5.2% · 31,302
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 19,953
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3,760
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3,729
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harris
Harris 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
#25
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 624,252
+30,710 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 211.63
Rank movement Down 1 places
2020
#26
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 603,371
-20,881 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 201.87
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24 | 593,542 | 220.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25 | 624,252 | 211.63 | +30,710 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 1 places |
| 2020 | #26 | 603,371 | 201.87 | -20,881 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 1 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 Harris 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 | #25 | #26 | -4.0% |
| Count | 624,252 | 603,371 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 211.63 | 201.87 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harris bearers went from 624,252 to 603,371 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #25 to #26.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harris
FAQ
Harris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harris?
Name Census estimates that about 691,901 living Americans carry the surname Harris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 495 residents.
How common is Harris?
Harris ranks #26 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 201.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 202 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 603,371 people with the surname Harris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (691,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 201.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 201.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 202 of them to have the surname Harris.
Has Harris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harris went from 624,252 recorded bearers to 603,371. That is a decrease of 20,881 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #25 to #26.
What does the Census say about the background of Harris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harris, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (41.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Harris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (297,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.2%), Black (41.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Harris (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 Harris mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Harry or Henry, or from a nickname meaning "son of Harry." 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 Harris (201.87 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 Harris?
Want to know how many people have the surname Harris? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.