Explore the Family Name Harold
The meaning of Harold
1. English: from the Middle English personal name Harold (Old Norse Haraldr, borrowed from an ancient Germanic form Harjawald). Alternatively, the name may arise from the Middle English personal name Harwold, Harold (Old English Hereweald), particularly in Suffolk, where there was also post-medieval confusion with Hurrell. These all go back to an ancient Germanic personal name composed of the elements heri, hari ‘army’ + wald ‘rule’, which is attested in Europe from an early date; the Roman historian Tacitus records a certain Cariovalda, chief of the ancient Germanic tribe of the Batavi, as early as the 1st century ad. See also Herald. 2. English: habitational name from Harrold (Bedfordshire), from Old English hār ‘gray’ + wald ‘large tract of woodland, high woodland’. 3. Irish: this name is of direct Norse origin (see 1 above), but is also occasionally a variant of Harrell and Hurrell. Spellings without final d have been adopted as the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó hEarghail (see Harrell). 4. German: from a personal name equivalent to 1 above. History: A family of this name (see 3 above) has been established in Ireland since at least the 12th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Harold in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Harold has seen a slight decrease over the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Harold ranked as the 5,008th most popular surname in the United States with 6,428 individuals carrying this name. However, by 2010, the ranking dropped to 5,651st, representing a decline of 12.84%. The total count of people with the surname also decreased to 6,141, marking a 4.46% drop. This change in popularity is reflected in the proportion per 100k people, which also fell by 12.61%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,008 | #5,651 | -12.84% |
| Count | 6,428 | 6,141 | -4.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.38 | 2.08 | -12.61% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Harold
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a dynamic picture for the surname Harold over the same decade. The percentage of those who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander and carry the surname increased significantly by 69.86%, from 0.73% in 2000 to 1.24% in 2010. There was also a notable rise of 37.25% in the Hispanic group within the Harold surname bearers. The percentage of those identifying as two or more races grew by 17.55% while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw an increase of 26.92%. On the other hand, the proportion of individuals identifying as White with the surname Harold declined by 3.72%. Similarly, the Black community carrying this surname witnessed a marginal increase of 3.35%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 70.38% | 67.76% | -3.72% |
| Black | 24.19% | 25% | 3.35% |
| Hispanic | 2.04% | 2.8% | 37.25% |
| Two or More Races | 1.88% | 2.21% | 17.55% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.73% | 1.24% | 69.86% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.78% | 0.99% | 26.92% |
Harold 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 Harold is British & Irish, which comprises 44.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.0%) and Scandinavian (5.0%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Nigerian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.8% |
| French & German | 22.0% |
| Scandinavian | 5.0% |
| Other | 28.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Harold
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 Harold have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 70.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 70.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 70.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 70.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 70.10% |
What Harold 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 Harold 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-S675 and I-M170, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Currie, Forman, Blume, Curry, Beck, Foreman, Winters, Byron, Waters, Dennison.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Harold surname are: H1, H, L2a_d. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Harold 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.
"Harold" Surname 35.9%
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.
"Harold" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Harold" Surname 22.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Harold" Surname 19.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Harold?
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 Harold are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition