NameCensus.

UK surname

Harkins

Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó hEarcáin, meaning "descendant of Earcán," a personal name of unknown meaning.

In the 1881 census there were 691 people recorded with the Harkins surname, ranking it #5,243 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,027, ranked #3,178, up from #5,243 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barlanark, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay and Meadowbank and Abbeyhill North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Harkins is 2,031 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 193.3%.

1881 census count

691

Ranked #5,243

Modern count

2,027

2016, ranked #3,178

Peak year

2014

2,031 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Harkins had 691 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,243 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,027 in 2016, ranked #3,178.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 959 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Harkins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Harkins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Harkins 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 231 #9,334
1861 historical 603 #4,390
1881 historical 691 #5,243
1891 historical 883 #4,664
1901 historical 959 #4,897
1911 historical 199 #15,016
1997 modern 1,823 #3,293
1998 modern 1,861 #3,360
1999 modern 1,847 #3,400
2000 modern 1,831 #3,411
2001 modern 1,800 #3,390
2002 modern 1,885 #3,326
2003 modern 1,846 #3,319
2004 modern 1,833 #3,341
2005 modern 1,850 #3,284
2006 modern 1,892 #3,241
2007 modern 1,906 #3,250
2008 modern 1,934 #3,223
2009 modern 1,960 #3,270
2010 modern 1,991 #3,292
2011 modern 1,950 #3,307
2012 modern 1,961 #3,235
2013 modern 2,001 #3,240
2014 modern 2,031 #3,228
2015 modern 2,019 #3,212
2016 modern 2,027 #3,178

Geography

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Where Harkins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Bathgate and Greenock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barlanark, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay, Meadowbank and Abbeyhill North, Johnstone North West and Keppochhill. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Bathgate Linlithgow
5 Greenock Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barlanark Glasgow City
2 Inverkip and Wemyss Bay Inverclyde
3 Meadowbank and Abbeyhill North City of Edinburgh
4 Johnstone North West Renfrewshire
5 Keppochhill Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Harkins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Harkins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Harkins, 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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Harkins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Harkins household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Harkins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Harkins is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

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

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Harkins falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Harkins is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Harkins

The surname Harkins is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "O'hArgain," which means "descendant of Argan." It is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in the northern Irish province of Ulster, particularly in the counties of Armagh and Tyrone.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Harkins can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1197, a man named Argan O'hArgain is mentioned as a notable figure in the region.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish families, including the Harkins, were forced to relocate due to the Plantation of Ulster, a government-sponsored campaign to confiscate land from Irish Catholics and grant it to Protestant settlers from England and Scotland. This led to the widespread dispersion of the Harkins name throughout Ireland and eventually beyond.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Patrick Harkins (1690-1778) was a Catholic priest and historian who authored several works on Irish history and folklore. He is known for his efforts to preserve Irish language and culture during a time of significant upheaval.

Another notable individual was Thomas Harkins (1819-1892), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1878, representing the riding of Northumberland County, Ontario.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Harkins surname is that of James Harkins (1775-1854), a farmer and soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in the War of 1812.

A more recent figure was John Harkins (1912-2003), an American professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1930s and 1940s.

Additionally, John Harkins (1932-2017) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist who served as the chairman and CEO of Fairfield Manufacturing Company, a leading producer of industrial textiles.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Harkins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Harkins 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. Lanarkshire leads with 233 Harkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.91x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 233 10.91x
Renfrewshire 94 18.37x
West Lothian 46 46.25x
Dunbartonshire 41 23.10x
Angus 38 6.21x
Lancashire 34 0.43x
Midlothian 31 3.50x
Ayrshire 22 4.45x
Durham 22 1.12x
Stirlingshire 16 6.57x
Worcestershire 13 1.51x
Perthshire 12 4.05x
Middlesex 11 0.17x
Aberdeenshire 9 1.47x
Surrey 9 0.28x
Staffordshire 7 0.31x
Yorkshire 6 0.09x
East Lothian 4 4.57x
Wiltshire 4 0.68x
Cheshire 3 0.21x
Peeblesshire 3 9.66x
Warwickshire 3 0.18x
Glamorgan 2 0.17x
Gloucestershire 2 0.15x
Hampshire 2 0.15x
Huntingdonshire 2 1.53x
Kent 2 0.09x
Oxfordshire 2 0.49x
Essex 1 0.08x
Inverness-shire 1 0.51x
Northumberland 1 0.10x
Royal Navy 1 1.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 68 Harkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.87x.

Place Total Index
Govan 68 12.87x
Glasgow 67 17.67x
Barony 49 9.07x
Middle Greenock 30 214.75x
Bathgate 23 106.53x
Dundee 21 9.19x
Cumbernauld 19 195.27x
Old Monkland 19 22.42x
West Greenock 18 19.60x
Abbey 17 21.77x
East Greenock 17 35.17x
Dudley 13 12.40x
Rutherglen 11 35.11x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 9 7.87x
Bonhill 9 31.59x
Dalry 9 38.69x
Dumbarton 9 36.44x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 2.53x
Barrow In Furness 8 7.51x
Dunning 8 215.63x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 8 9.40x
Lambeth 8 1.39x
Liff Benvie 8 8.61x
West Calder 8 45.87x
Byers Green 7 126.35x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 7 114.19x
Falkirk 7 12.28x
Montrose 7 18.88x
Toxteth Park 7 2.64x
Whitburn 7 48.71x
Hackney London 6 1.62x
Linlithgow 6 47.06x
Neilston 6 23.36x
Queensferry 6 246.91x
Slamannan 6 44.98x
Hipperholme Cum 5 17.39x
Manchester 5 1.42x
Westoe 5 4.49x
Blantyre 4 17.99x
Dalrymple 4 129.03x
Harborne 4 5.60x
Kilmarnock 4 6.80x
Maryhill 4 9.57x
Paisley High Church 4 9.82x
Prestonkirk 4 91.53x
St Pancras London 4 0.75x
Westbury 4 29.35x
Blackburn 3 1.44x
Bothwell 3 5.18x
Burton Upon Trent 3 5.75x
Lanark 3 17.45x
Liverpool 3 0.63x
Peebles 3 32.68x
Stewarton 3 30.67x
Auchterarder 2 24.18x
Birmingham 2 0.36x
Cardross 2 9.39x
Clifton 2 3.05x
Eastwood 2 6.35x
Edinburgh Canongate 2 8.88x
Hamilton 2 3.36x
Kirriemuir 2 13.25x
New Monkland 2 3.17x
Old Kilpatrick 2 9.54x
Oxford St Ebbe 2 16.67x
Portsea 2 0.75x
Ramsey 2 19.05x
Uphall 2 18.28x
Boness 1 7.29x
Campsie 1 7.48x
Cardiff St Mary 1 1.58x
Dukinfield 1 1.48x
Edinburgh New 1 14.56x
Great Harwood 1 7.06x
Inveresk 1 4.18x
Newton In Makerfield 1 4.17x
North Leith 1 2.44x
St George Hanover Square 1 0.86x
Walmer 1 10.20x
Woking 1 5.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Sarah 5
Catherine 4
Elizabeth 4
Anne 3
Bridget 3
Emily 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Agnes 2
Ann 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Harriet 2
Susannah 2
Amelia 1
Christiana 1
Elizth. 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Lillian 1
Lily 1
Margarat 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Martha 1
Nancy 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Harkins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Harkins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 691 people were recorded with the Harkins surname. That placed it at #5,243 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Harkins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,027 in 2016. That gives Harkins a modern rank of #3,178.

What does the Harkins surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó hEarcáin, meaning "descendant of Earcán," a personal name of unknown meaning.

What does the Harkins map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Harkins 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.