Explore the Family Name Harman

The meaning of Harman

1. English (mainly southeast), Dutch, and Czech: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements heri, hari ‘army’ + man ‘man’ (see Hermann). In England this name was introduced by the Normans. 2. Irish: variant of Hargadon. 3. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): perhaps a nickname for someone with a copious or noticeable head of hair (see Haar). 4. Americanized form of German Harmann or Hermann or Herrmann, cognates of 1 above. Compare Harmon. 5. Americanized form of Polish, Czech, Slovenian, Croatian, or other Slavic Herman, cognates of 1 and 4 above.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Harman has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. The rank in popularity slid from 2,328 in 2000 to 2,458 in 2010, marking a decrease of 5.58 percent. However, the overall count of individuals with the Harman surname grew slightly, from 14,237 in 2000 to 14,658 in 2010 - an increase of almost 3 percent. The proportion per 100,000 people decreased by about 6 percent over this decade.

20002010Change
Rank#2,328#2,458-5.58%
Count14,23714,6582.96%
Proportion per 100k5.284.97-5.87%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Harman

Analyzing the ethnic identities associated with the Harman surname using data from the Decennial U.S. Census, there have been some changes noted between 2000 and 2010. Most notably, people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by nearly 50 percent, while those identifying as Hispanic grew by over 34 percent. Individuals with two or more races also saw a rise of over 22 percent. The majority of people with the surname Harman identify as White, although this percentage did see a slight decrease from 95.10 percent in 2000 to 94.03 percent in 2010. The proportions of individuals identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native both saw minor changes, increasing by 5.30 percent and decreasing by 5 percent respectively.

20002010Change
White95.1%94.03%-1.13%
Hispanic1.37%1.84%34.31%
Two or More Races1.31%1.6%22.14%
Black1.32%1.39%5.3%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.51%0.76%49.02%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.4%0.38%-5%

Harman 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 Harman is British & Irish, which comprises 49.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (29.0%) and Eastern European (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish49.7%
French & German29.0%
Eastern European4.4%
Other16.8%
Harman

Possible origins of the surname Harman

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 Harman have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom85.00%
West Midlands, United Kingdom85.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom85.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom84.80%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom84.60%

What Harman 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 Harman is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and J-L26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mathews, Davis, Harmon, Harrison, Richards, West, Smith, Grey, Brown, Young.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Harman surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

harmanPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Harman 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

Harman

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Harman" Surname 38.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Harman

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Harman" Surname 37.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Harman

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Harman" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Harman

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Harman" Surname 18.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Harman?

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 Harman are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%