NameCensus.

UK surname

Harben

A locative surname derived from a place name referring to a settlement near a harbor or small port.

In the 1881 census there were 109 people recorded with the Harben surname, ranking it #18,793 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 163, ranked #22,407, down from #18,793 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Tadlow, Bedwelty and St John Hampstead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest Heath, Swansea and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Harben is 176 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.5%.

1881 census count

109

Ranked #18,793

Modern count

163

2016, ranked #22,407

Peak year

2000

176 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Harben had 109 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,793 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 163 in 2016, ranked #22,407.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 148 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Harben surname distribution map

The map shows where the Harben surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Harben surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Harben over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 39 #26,319
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 109 #18,793
1891 historical 143 #18,920
1901 historical 133 #19,372
1911 historical 148 #18,023
1997 modern 157 #20,513
1998 modern 163 #20,582
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 176 #19,698
2001 modern 170 #19,838
2002 modern 174 #19,971
2003 modern 172 #19,893
2004 modern 172 #20,008
2005 modern 174 #19,783
2006 modern 168 #20,368
2007 modern 168 #20,634
2008 modern 173 #20,465
2009 modern 174 #20,782
2010 modern 176 #21,101
2011 modern 165 #21,829
2012 modern 166 #21,683
2013 modern 163 #22,342
2014 modern 159 #22,930
2015 modern 157 #22,997
2016 modern 163 #22,407

Geography

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Where Harbens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Tadlow, Bedwelty, St John Hampstead, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest Heath, Swansea, Barnsley, Sheffield and Huntingdonshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Tadlow Cambridgeshire
2 Bedwelty Monmouthshire
3 St John Hampstead London (North Districts)
4 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest Heath 004 Forest Heath
2 Swansea 013 Swansea
3 Barnsley 030 Barnsley
4 Sheffield 068 Sheffield
5 Huntingdonshire 007 Huntingdonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Harben

These lists show first names that appear often with the Harben surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Harben

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Harben, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Harben surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Harben household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Harben is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Harben is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Harben falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Harben is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Harben, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Harben

The surname HARBEN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from the name of a place where the first bearers of the name resided or were born. One possibility is that it derives from the Old English words "hær" meaning "rock" and "benn" meaning "hill" or "ridge," suggesting the name may have originated in an area with rocky hills or ridges.

Another theory suggests that the name may be a variation of the more common surname "Harben" or "Harburn," which likely originated from the place name "Harbottle" in Northumberland or "Harborne" in Staffordshire. Both of these place names are derived from Old English words meaning "a muddy stream" or "a stream where hares drink."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HARBEN surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a Robert de Harbarn is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places that may have been the origin of the HARBEN surname, such as "Harbottle" in Northumberland and "Harborne" in Staffordshire.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the HARBEN surname include:

1. John Harben (c. 1585-1658), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. 2. William Harben (1620-1691), an English lawyer and writer who published several legal treatises. 3. Henry Harben (1823-1911), an English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. 4. William Harben (1854-1919), an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his works set in the American South. 5. Henry Desborough Harben (1863-1945), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

While the exact origins of the HARBEN surname may be unclear, it is evident that the name has a long history in England and can be traced back to medieval times, with potential links to various place names and geographic features.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Harben families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Harben surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 45 Harbens recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.81x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 45 3.81x
Cambridgeshire 24 32.10x
Channel Islands 14 40.03x
Hertfordshire 9 11.06x
Derbyshire 8 4.33x
Kent 5 1.24x
Nottinghamshire 4 2.51x
Yorkshire 4 0.34x
Lancashire 2 0.14x
Surrey 2 0.35x
Devon 1 0.41x
Hampshire 1 0.41x
Lincolnshire 1 0.53x
Somerset 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 18 Harbens recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.73x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 18 15.73x
Hampstead London 14 76.17x
Tadlow 13 16250.00x
St Helier 10 87.80x
Norton 8 526.32x
St Andrewthe Less 8 93.68x
Hendon 5 117.65x
Redbourn 5 561.80x
Barkway 4 1250.00x
Nottingham St Mary 4 9.72x
St Brelade 4 444.44x
Tottenham 4 21.28x
Croydon Cum Clapton 3 1578.95x
Hackney London 3 4.53x
Normanton 3 85.47x
Beckenham 2 38.02x
Woolwich 2 13.44x
Cheetham 1 9.57x
Deptford St Paul 1 3.22x
Dorking 1 25.91x
East Stonehouse 1 20.66x
Liverpool 1 1.18x
Portsmouth 1 17.95x
Potter Hanworth 1 555.56x
Sheffield 1 2.69x
Sunbury 1 70.42x
Sutton 1 24.04x
Weston Super Mare 1 20.83x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Harben surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 6
Elizabeth 5
Edith 4
Sarah 4
Florence 3
Ada 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Isabella 2
Jane 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Agnus 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Bridget 1
Dorothy 1
Eliz. 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Georginia 1
Grace 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Lillian 1
Lucy 1
Mable 1
Madeline 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Mercy 1
Mildred 1
Susan 1
Sussanna 1
Treazer 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Harben surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Harben surname: questions and answers

How common was the Harben surname in 1881?

In 1881, 109 people were recorded with the Harben surname. That placed it at #18,793 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Harben surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 163 in 2016. That gives Harben a modern rank of #22,407.

What does the Harben surname mean?

A locative surname derived from a place name referring to a settlement near a harbor or small port.

What does the Harben map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Harben bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.