# Harkness (surname)

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

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 5,783 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,953 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 53,388 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.6% (5,635 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɑɹknəs/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

A topographic name, from Old English hearg (“altar; grove; temple”) + næs (“promontory, cape, peninsula”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Harkness 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) | 83% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Harkness in the United States.

## People named Harkness

- Deborah Harkness, American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast
- William Harkness, American Civil War surgeon and astronomer (1837–1903)
- Rebekah Harkness, American artist, composer, philanthropist, and founder of the Harkness Ballet (1915-1982)
- Jerry Harkness, American basketball player (1940–2021)
- Edward Harkness, American philanthropist (1874-1940)
- Arma Senkrah, American violonist (1864–1900)

## Similar surnames

Harkins, Harkin, Harrison, Harrigan, Horgan, Harshman, Hershman, Hirschman, Horsman, Horrigan, Hourigan.

## 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.