NameCensus.

UK surname

Harms

An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a soldier or mercenary.

In the 1881 census there were 187 people recorded with the Harms surname, ranking it #13,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 341, ranked #13,425, down from #13,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ashford and Horsham, Sullington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Guildford, West Berkshire and Poole.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Harms is 341 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 82.4%.

1881 census count

187

Ranked #13,407

Modern count

341

2016, ranked #13,425

Peak year

2016

341 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Harms had 187 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 341 in 2016, ranked #13,425.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 296 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Harms surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Harms surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Harms 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 115 #15,634
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 187 #13,407
1891 historical 201 #14,866
1901 historical 270 #12,492
1911 historical 296 #11,569
1997 modern 324 #12,859
1998 modern 325 #13,166
1999 modern 327 #13,209
2000 modern 324 #13,243
2001 modern 317 #13,228
2002 modern 321 #13,378
2003 modern 322 #13,192
2004 modern 313 #13,502
2005 modern 310 #13,518
2006 modern 315 #13,440
2007 modern 321 #13,403
2008 modern 312 #13,764
2009 modern 322 #13,741
2010 modern 318 #14,136
2011 modern 316 #14,092
2012 modern 325 #13,720
2013 modern 338 #13,508
2014 modern 335 #13,720
2015 modern 338 #13,527
2016 modern 341 #13,425

Geography

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Where Harms' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ashford, Horsham, Sullington, Sittingbourne and Send. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Guildford, West Berkshire, Poole and Swale. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Ashford Kent
3 Horsham, Sullington Sussex
4 Sittingbourne Kent
5 Send Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Guildford 006 Guildford
2 West Berkshire 003 West Berkshire
3 Poole 001 Poole
4 Guildford 007 Guildford
5 Swale 007 Swale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Harms

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Harms

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Harms surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Harms household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Harms is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Harms is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Harms 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 Harms 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 Harms, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Harms

The surname Harms originates from Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Low German word "harm" or "haren," meaning an area of elevated or higher ground. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived on a hill or elevated terrain.

The earliest recorded instances of the Harms surname can be found in various German historical documents from the 13th century onwards. For example, the name appears in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval records from the city of Bremen, dated around 1280.

In the 14th century, the Harms name is mentioned in records from the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. This suggests that the Harms family may have been involved in trade or commerce during this period.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Harms surname was Johann Harms, a German clergyman born in 1554 in Oldenburg. He served as a Lutheran pastor and played a significant role in the reformation movement in northern Germany.

Another notable figure was Claus Harms (1778-1855), a German theologian and pastor from Kiel. He was known for his influential writings and sermons, and played a crucial role in the revival of Lutheranism in the 19th century.

In the 18th century, the Harms surname appears in records from the Kingdom of Prussia, particularly in the regions of Pomerania and Brandenburg. This includes references to individuals such as Johann Harms (1701-1783), a Prussian military officer, and Friedrich Harms (1719-1788), a Prussian jurist and legal scholar.

The Harms name has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Harmshausen, a village in Lower Saxony, and Harmsdorf, a municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.

Other notable individuals with the Harms surname include Johann Daniel Harms (1730-1806), a German teacher and writer; Georg Ernst Harms (1808-1865), a German botanist and naturalist; and Rudolf Harms (1886-1945), a German architect and urban planner.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Harms families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Harms 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. Surrey leads with 62 Harms' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.01x.

County Total Index
Surrey 62 7.01x
Middlesex 44 2.43x
Kent 26 4.20x
Sussex 13 4.25x
Durham 8 1.48x
Lancashire 8 0.37x
Northumberland 6 2.22x
Hampshire 5 1.34x
Renfrewshire 4 2.85x
Angus 2 1.19x
Devon 2 0.53x
Essex 2 0.56x
Cheshire 1 0.25x
Glamorgan 1 0.32x
Warwickshire 1 0.22x
Yorkshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke in Surrey leads with 13 Harms' recorded in 1881 and an index of 311.75x.

Place Total Index
Stoke 13 311.75x
Horsham 11 185.19x
Ashford 9 149.25x
Sittingbourne 9 184.05x
Guildford St Nicholas 8 512.82x
Hendon 8 122.51x
Bethnal Green London 7 8.88x
Hampton Wick London 7 526.32x
Merrow 7 1891.89x
Bishopwearmouth 6 12.95x
Greenwich 6 20.78x
Newcastle On Tyne St 6 42.89x
Reigate Foreign 6 62.70x
Southwark St Saviour 6 64.38x
Hawley 5 714.29x
Send Ripley 5 434.78x
St George In East London 5 29.31x
Staines 5 174.22x
Woking 5 93.81x
Cheetham 4 24.91x
Cobham 4 275.86x
Everton 4 5.83x
Middle Greenock 4 104.17x
Rotherhithe 4 17.85x
Heston 3 49.83x
Battersea 2 3.00x
Dundee 2 3.19x
Leyton 2 32.41x
Mile End Old Town London 2 5.18x
Monkwearmouth Shore 2 18.98x
Ratcliffe London 2 19.96x
St Pancras London 2 1.37x
Tavistock 2 46.51x
Birmingham 1 0.66x
Cowesby 1 1666.67x
Folkestone 1 8.33x
Guildford Holy Trinity 1 59.52x
Liscard 1 13.85x
Mayfield 1 55.25x
Midhurst 1 100.00x
Penarth 1 32.36x
Shoreditch London 1 1.27x
St Marylebone London 1 1.03x
Streatham 1 7.43x
West Wickham 1 166.67x
Whitechapel London 1 5.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ellen 7
Elizabeth 5
Jane 5
Eliza 4
Emily 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Louisa 3
Ada 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Georgina 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Sarah 2
Susan 2
Bessie 1
Clementine 1
Cordelia 1
Edith 1
Elen 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Elsie 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Harriett 1
Hester 1
Isabel 1
Julia 1
Keline 1
Kitty 1
Laura 1
Lilian 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Martha 1
Mathedey 1
Mercy 1
Phibe 1
Rachel 1
Winnie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
John 8
Thomas 7
George 6
Henry 6
Frank 5
Charles 4
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
James 2
Adolph 1
Alfred 1
Allan 1
Christopher 1
Claus 1
David 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Friedrich 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hezekiah 1
Ranhard 1
Robt. 1
T. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Harms surname: questions and answers

How common was the Harms surname in 1881?

In 1881, 187 people were recorded with the Harms surname. That placed it at #13,407 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Harms surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 341 in 2016. That gives Harms a modern rank of #13,425.

What does the Harms surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a soldier or mercenary.

What does the Harms map show?

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