Explore the Family Name Harker
The meaning of Harker
English: 1. habitational name either from Harker (now Harkerside) in Grinton parish (North Yorkshire), of uncertain etymology, or from Harker in Halsall parish (Lancashire), derived from Old English hār ‘hoar, gray’ or Old English hara ‘hare’ + Old Norse kjarr ‘marsh overgrown with brushwood’. 2. nickname for an eavesdropper or busybody, from an agent derivative of Middle English herkien ‘to listen’. The name seems to be attested in southwestern England.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Harker in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Harker increased in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the name climbed from 6523 to 6230, showing a growth of 4.49%. Similarly, there was a rise of 14.39% in the count of people carrying this surname, with numbers going up from 4795 to 5485 within that decade. The proportion of individuals named Harker per 100k also saw an increase of 4.49%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,523 | #6,230 | 4.49% |
| Count | 4,795 | 5,485 | 14.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.78 | 1.86 | 4.49% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Harker
The ethnicity distribution for the surname Harker as per the Decennial U.S. Census showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010. There was a slight decrease in the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying with two or more races by -4.55% and -13.51%, respectively. Meanwhile, those identifying as White dropped slightly by -1.18%. On the other hand, there was a substantial increase of 48.40% in the number of individuals identifying as Hispanic. The percentage of people identifying as Black also rose by 15.35%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a modest increase of 5.06%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.47% | 91.38% | -1.18% |
| Hispanic | 1.88% | 2.79% | 48.4% |
| Black | 2.15% | 2.48% | 15.35% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.58% | 1.66% | 5.06% |
| Two or More Races | 1.48% | 1.28% | -13.51% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.42% | -4.55% |
Harker ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Harker is British & Irish, which comprises 51.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.1%) and Eastern European (7.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.2% |
| French & German | 23.1% |
| Eastern European | 7.3% |
| Other | 18.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Harker
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Harker have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
What Harker haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Harker is R-CTS4179, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS4179 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-S5741, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Goad, Brandon, Faulk, Mudd, Scofield, Gault, Thames, Autry, Baird, Friend.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Harker surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Harker have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Harker" Surname 47.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Harker" Surname 27.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Harker" Surname 40.0%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Harker" Surname 22.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Harker?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Harker are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition