The Harding surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 39,787 people carried this name — #871 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,410 people counted. That is up 4% from 38,340 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Harding surname
An English and Irish surname transferred from the given name.
Originally a patronymic from Hardy or from compound given names with the Germanic element *hard (“hard”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary — entry «Harding» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 17 births for the Harding name in 1890.
Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin and Tipperary.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 54 people named Harding.
Most of them — 39 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
48 people named Harding live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 27 people named Harding live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Who carried it
People named Harding,
with a public archive behind them.
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Thomas Harding d. 1648 · historian
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Samuel Harding d. 1755 · publisher
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Thomas Harding d. 1532 · dissident
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Francis Harding d. 1766 · painter
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Jeremiah Harding d. 1830 · artist
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John Livingston Harding d. 1882 · painter
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Harding.
- Harari 1,030 · U.S. census
- Harcourt 1,091 · U.S. census
- Hard 3,085 · U.S. census
- Hardel 237 · U.S. census
- Hardeman 4,565 · U.S. census
- Hardi 144 · U.S. census
- Hardy 80,252 · U.S. census
- Hare 16,304 · U.S. census
- Harel 506 · U.S. census
- Haren 1,041 · U.S. census
- Hari 804 · U.S. census
- Harle 599 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Harding is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.