The Harrison surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 181,091 people carried this name — #141 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,630 people counted. That is up 3% from 175,577 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Harrison surname
A northern English surname originating as a patronymic.
From Harry + -son.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Harrison» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 48 births for the Harrison name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 4 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.
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 Argentina’s national register
At least 276 people named Harrison live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
182 people named Harrison live in Switzerland.
They live in 13 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 130 people named Harrison.
Most of them — 96 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 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 Poland’s population register
67 people named Harrison have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 201 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 40 people named Harrison 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.
In the Nordic population registers
284 people named Harrison are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Harrison in American newspapers,
1888–1892.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,276,776 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Harrison,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Sir Heath Harrison, 1st Baronet d. 1934 · ship-owner -
Burton D. Harrison d. 2004 · screenwriter
-
Theophilus Harrison d. 1720 · priest
-
Jeff Harrison d. 2013 · statistician
-
Theophilus Harrison d. 1736 · physician
-
James Harrison d. 1602 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Harrison.
- Harper 124,461 · U.S. census
- Harpin 480 · U.S. census
- Harre 556 · U.S. census
- Harrer 639 · U.S. census
- Harriet 230 · U.S. census
- Harris 624,252 · U.S. census
- Harry 9,311 · U.S. census
- Hart 137,184 · U.S. census
- Harte 3,202 · U.S. census
- Hartel 973 · U.S. census
- Hartenstein 683 · U.S. census
- Harter 10,020 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Harrison 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.