2000
#128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 65.09
Common Last name
Harrison
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Harry" or "son of Henry."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197,967 Americans carry the last name Harrison. That puts it at #146 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 57.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Harrison 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 Harrison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
198K
1 in 1,731
Census rank
#146
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
57.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
173K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172,637 bearers of the surname Harrison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 57.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrison, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Harrison
The surname Harrison is an English patronymic name derived from the given name Harry, which is a medieval diminutive form of Henry. The name Harry itself is derived from the Old French name Henri, which comes from the Old German name Heimrich, meaning "home-ruler."
The earliest recorded instance of the Harrison surname dates back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Roger Haresun, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195. The name was also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1275, where it was spelled as Harysone.
During the Middle Ages, the Harrison surname was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. The name was also found in various forms, such as Harrysone, Harryson, and Hareson, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One notable historical figure with the Harrison surname was John Harrison (1693-1776), an English clockmaker who revolutionized navigation by inventing the marine chronometer, a device that enabled accurate measurement of longitude at sea. His invention played a crucial role in the expansion of maritime trade and exploration.
Another prominent figure was William Henry Harrison (1773-1841), the ninth President of the United States. He was a distinguished military officer and politician, serving as the first governor of the Indiana Territory and later becoming the President in 1841, though his term was tragically cut short after just 32 days due to illness.
In the literary world, Jane Austen's famous novel "Sense and Sensibility" featured a character named Colonel Brandon, whose full name was Christopher Brandon Harrison. The novel was published in 1811 and provided a glimpse into the social dynamics of the Georgian era in England.
Another notable Harrison was Frederic Harrison (1831-1923), an English philosopher, jurist, and writer. He was a leading figure in the positivist movement and authored several influential works, including "The Choice of Books" and "The Meaning of History."
Lastly, the Harrison surname has been associated with several notable musicians, including the late George Harrison (1943-2001), the lead guitarist and songwriter for the legendary rock band The Beatles. His contributions to the band's music and the cultural landscape of the 1960s cannot be overstated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harrison
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrison, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Harrison 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 Harrison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 114,095
- Black or African American23.9% · 41,215
- Two or more races4.4% · 7,679
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 6,282
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2,208
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,158
Timeline
Historical Census data for Harrison
Harrison 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
#141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181,091
+5,514 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 61.39
Rank movement Down 13 places
2020
#146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172,637
-8,454 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 57.76
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128 | 175,577 | 65.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141 | 181,091 | 61.39 | +5,514 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 13 places |
| 2020 | #146 | 172,637 | 57.76 | -8,454 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 5 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 Harrison 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 | #141 | #146 | -3.5% |
| Count | 181,091 | 172,637 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 61.39 | 57.76 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Harrison bearers went from 181,091 to 172,637 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #141 to #146.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Harrison
FAQ
Harrison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Harrison?
Name Census estimates that about 197,967 living Americans carry the surname Harrison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,731 residents.
How common is Harrison?
Harrison ranks #146 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 57.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 58 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 172,637 people with the surname Harrison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197,967), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 57.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 57.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 58 of them to have the surname Harrison.
Has Harrison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Harrison went from 181,091 recorded bearers to 172,637. That is a decrease of 8,454 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141 to #146.
What does the Census say about the background of Harrison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Harrison, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Harrison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (114,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Harrison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (23.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Harrison (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 Harrison mean?
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Harry" or "son of Henry." 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 Harrison (57.76 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 Harrison?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.