Harland is an English surname turned first name, from the Old English hara and land, meaning "hare land" or "land of the hares". Its best-known American bearer is Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the shorter Harlan has been more common as a given name. Harland has climbed from about number 3500 in 2015 to number 2045 in 2025, its highest rank so far.