Explore the Family Name Harlen

The meaning of Harlen

English and Scottish: variant of Harlin or Harlan.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Harlen in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Harlen fluctuated slightly between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Harlen was ranked 56,246th in terms of popularity, but dropped to a rank of 59,324th in 2010, showing a decrease of 5.47%. However, the number of people with this surname essentially remained stable during this period, increasing from 340 to 341, a growth rate of just 0.29%. The proportion of individuals named Harlen per 100,000 people also saw a small decline, dropping from 0.13 in 2000 to 0.12 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#56,246	#59,324	-5.47%
Count	340	341	0.29%
Proportion per 100k	0.13	0.12	-7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Harlen

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Harlen revealed some interesting shifts as well, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 77.94% of people with the Harlen surname identified as White, which decreased slightly to 75.95% by 2010. The Black community representing the Harlen surname also saw a decrease from 17.94% to 15.54%. Interestingly, the representation of Harlen among Hispanics emerged in 2010 at 3.81%, though it was nonexistent in 2000. Individuals identifying as two or more races also increased significantly, from 1.47% to 3.52%. However, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native representation remained unchanged, with no individuals from these groups reported having the Harlen surname in either 2000 or 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	77.94%	75.95%	-2.55%
Black	17.94%	15.54%	-13.38%
Hispanic	0%	3.81%	0%
Two or More Races	1.47%	3.52%	139.46%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.47%	0%	0%