# Hardy (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/hardy/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A common surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for a hardy person.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 80,252 |
| US rank (2010) | 399 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,847 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.8% (76,608 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɑɹdi/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* As an English, Scottish, and French surname, from Middle English hardy, hardi, from Old French hardi (“hardy, daring, stout, bold”). * As an Irish surname, via mac giolla deacair (“son of the hard lad”) as a calque of the above. * Also as a Scottish surname, variant of Hardie.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Hardy in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 61% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 32% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.2% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Hardy in the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Australia.

## People named Hardy

- Tom Hardy, British actor (born 1977)
- Oliver Hardy, American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy (1892–1957)
- Jeff Hardy, American professional wrestler
- Matt Hardy, American professional wrestler (born 1974)
- Robert Hardy, British actor (1925–2017)
- Jessica Hardy, American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, world record-holder
- Catherine Hardy Lavender, American Athletics competitor (1930–2017)
- James Hardy, American rower (1923-1986)
- Jeremy Hardy, British comedian (1961-2019)
- Sam Hardy, American actor (1884–1935)
- Greg Hardy, American football player
- J. J. Hardy, American baseball player (born 1982)

and 16 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Hart, Heard, Hardee, Harrod, Hardie, Hoard, Harty, Hard, Harada, Huard, Howard, Hardaway.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.