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    The surname Harrison

    A patronymic surname, carried by 181,091 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈhæɹ.ɪ.sən/ 3 syllables Soundex H625 Also a first name

    Harrison: #141 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Harrison #141, 181,091 people Harrison: #141 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#1,000Archer Harrison #141, 181,091 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Harrison is more common than 99.9% of them.

    Origin

    From Harry + -son.

    Harrison is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 181,091 people named Harrison in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,705 Americans. That is up 3.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 175,577.

    #141
    rank among US surnames
    181,091
    people in 2010
    61
    per 100,000 Americans
    +3.1%
    change since 2000 (was #128)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #132Tran188,4981,638
    #133Medina188,4971,638
    #134Aguilar186,5121,655
    #135Stevens185,6741,663
    #136Murray184,9101,670
    #137Ford184,8321,670
    #138Castro184,1341,677

    Who is named Harrison

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

    69% of people named Harrison identified as white (not Hispanic), 24% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 69%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 24%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
    • Two or more races 2.3%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 1.4%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Harrisons

    91 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Rex Harrison
      British actor (1908–1990)
    • Harry Harrison
      American science fiction author (1925–2012)
    • John Harrison
      British clockworker, 1693–1776
    • Kendra Harrison
      American hurdler, born 1992
    • Ryan Harrison
      American tennis player, born 1992
    • Kayla Harrison
      American Olympic judoka and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, born 1990
    • Jane Ellen Harrison
      British classical scholar, linguist and feminist (1850–1928)
    • Kenny Harrison
      American triple jumper and long jumper, born 1965
    • Gavin Harrison
      British drummer, born 1963
    • Randy Harrison
      American actor, born 1977
    • James Harrison
      Australian blood plasma donor (1936–2025)
    • Benjamin Harrison V
      American planter and merchant (1726-1791)

    Notable Harrisons come mostly from the United States (70), the United Kingdom (10) and Australia (5).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Harrison

    Harrison has the Soundex code H625, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H625.

    Questions

    Where does the surname Harrison come from?
    From Harry + -son.
    How common is the surname Harrison?
    181,091 people in the United States had the surname Harrison in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,705 Americans. It ranked 141st of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Harrison?
    In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Harrison identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Harrison?
    Rex Harrison, British actor (1908–1990), followed by Harry Harrison.
    Where is the surname Harrison most common?
    Wikidata records people named Harrison in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 3 other countries.
    How do you pronounce Harrison?
    Harrison is /ˈhæɹ.ɪ.sən/, 3 syllables.
    What type of surname is Harrison?
    Harrison is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Harrison getting more or less common?
    More common. 175,577 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 181,091 in 2010, up 3.1%.
    Is Harrison also a first name?
    Yes. Harrison 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.