The Harless surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,746 people carried this name — #5,179 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,700 people counted. That is up 3% from 6,580 in 2000.

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In print

Harless in American newspapers,
1903–1924.

Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Harless
The Milwaukee Leader 1924-04-06
Newspaper page from The Greenville Journal carrying the name Harless
The Greenville Journal 1916-06-15
Newspaper page from The Watchman And Southron carrying the name Harless
The Watchman And Southron 1903-04-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,826 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Harless in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1940s.

72 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Harless. The most, 15, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 40
New South Wales 11
Queensland 9
Tasmania 8
South Australia 2
ACT (Canberra) 1
Western Australia 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Harless.

Who carried it

People named Harless,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Johann Christian Harleß
    Johann Christian Harleß 1773–1853 · physician
  • Richard F. Harless
    Richard F. Harless 1905–1970 · teacher
  • Hermann Harless 1887–1961 · writer
  • James H. Harless 1919–2014 · miner
  • Bud Harless 1924–2007 · engineer
  • William G. Harless 1933–2014 · artificial intelligence researcher

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Harless,
in the records of 3 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States304 records

304 records of the Harless name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 220
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 62
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 8
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 3
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edmond R. Harless

    Born 1914 in Virginia. Enlisted 1944 at Fort George G Meade, Maryland; transport worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Sifford Cemetery, Parrott, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jeanette Harless

    Arrived at New York in 1837 aboard the New York from Bremen, aged 19; farmer. From Bavaria, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Carl Clarence Harless

    Born 1948; from Jacksonville, Florida. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 304 records for Harless in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia19 records

19 records of the Harless name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 15
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William C. Harless

    Gentleman of Seaford, Victoria; died 1953.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Christina Harless

    Arrived in Victoria in 1904 aboard the Medic, aged 30.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record George Harless

    Married 1864 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Harless in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany11 records

11 records of the Harless name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Adolf Harleß

    From Castell, Unterfr. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 10 December 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 19).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Jakob Harleß

    From Weiden, Oberpf. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 25 January 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 1).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johannes Harleß

    From Waldenburg, Glauchau. Reported missing in the Saxon casualty list of 10 October 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Harless in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Harless.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Harless 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.

See the Harless volume
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