# Hart (surname)

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

An English surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname from Middle English hert (“stag, hart”).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 137,184 |
| US rank (2010) | 207 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,251 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.6% (132,466 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* As an English and north/Low German surname, from the noun hart (“stag”). * As a German surname, variant of Hardt. * As a Jewish/Yiddish and Dutch surname, from derivatives of *hertā (“heart”), *hard(ī) (“hard”), or *herut (“stag”), or converged senses of them. These senses are also translated from other languages such as French Francoeur, Jolicoeur, Vadeboncoeur, and Native American (Cheyenne) Homa'ehesta, from homa'e (“beaver”) + hesta (“heart”). * As an Irish surname, from Ó hAirt (“descendant of Art”), from the noun art (“bear”). Compare Hartin.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Hart 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) | 81% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Hart in the United States, Australia, Canada, The Bahamas, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

## People named Hart

- Kevin Hart, American comedian and actor (born 1979)
- Melissa Joan Hart, American actress
- Oliver Hart, British-born American economist
- Beth Hart, American blues rock musician
- Doris Hart, American tennis player (1925–2015)
- Dolores Hart, American Roman Catholic religious nun, and former actress
- Michael S. Hart, American author, founder of Project Gutenberg (1947–2011)
- William S. Hart, American actor, film director (1864–1946)
- Michael H. Hart, American astronomer
- Lorenz Hart, American lyricist (1895–1943)
- Josh Hart, American basketball player (born 1995)
- Jimmy Hart, American musician and professional wrestling manager

and 57 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Hardy, Hurt, Hardee, Harrod, Hardie, Harty, Harte, Hard, Hirt, Harada, Hirata, Heart.

## 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.