How common is the surname Harlan?

11,339 people in the United States had the surname Harlan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 27,229 Americans. It ranked 3,188th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Harlan?

Bruce Harlan, American diver (1926–1959), followed by Otis Harlan.

Where is the surname Harlan most common?

Wikidata records people named Harlan in the United States and Germany.

Is the surname Harlan getting more or less common?

More common. 10,775 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,339 in 2010, up 5.2%.

Is Harlan also a first name?

Yes. Harlan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Harlan

An English surname, carried by 11,339 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex H645 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Harlan is more common than 98% of them.

Origin

English origin

American contraction of Harland, from Old English har (“grey”) / hara (“hare”) + land (“land”).

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 11,339 people named Harlan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 27,229 Americans. That is up 5.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,775.

#3,188

rank among US surnames

11,339

people in 2010

3.8

per 100,000 Americans

+5.2%

change since 2000 (was #3,084)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,179	Choate	11,372	27,150
#3,180	Tolentino	11,371	27,152
#3,181	Whelan	11,363	27,171
#3,182	Yan	11,354	27,193
#3,183	McNeely	11,350	27,202
#3,184	Corrales	11,348	27,207
#3,185	Murrell	11,347	27,209

Who is named Harlan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named Harlan identified as white (not Hispanic), 8.5% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.1%
Two or more races 2.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.9%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Harlans

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Bruce Harlan
American diver (1926–1959)
Otis Harlan
American actor (1865-1940)
Kenneth Harlan
American actor (1895–1967)
Jan Harlan
American film director and producer, born 1937
Richard Harlan
American zoologist (1796-1843)
James Harlan
American politician (1820-1899)
Josiah Harlan
American mercenary and prince (1799–1871)
Russell Harlan
American cinematographer (1903-1974)

Notable Harlans come mostly from the United States (7) and Germany (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Harlan

Harlan has the Soundex code H645, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H645.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Harlan come from?: American contraction of Harland, from Old English har (“grey”) / hara (“hare”) + land (“land”).
How common is the surname Harlan?: 11,339 people in the United States had the surname Harlan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 27,229 Americans. It ranked 3,188th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Harlan?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Harlan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 8.5% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Harlan?: Bruce Harlan, American diver (1926–1959), followed by Otis Harlan.
Where is the surname Harlan most common?: Wikidata records people named Harlan in the United States and Germany.
Is the surname Harlan getting more or less common?: More common. 10,775 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,339 in 2010, up 5.2%.
Is Harlan also a first name?: Yes. Harlan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.