Harding
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Harding Genealogy
The Old English Harding or Hearding, meaning hardy, brave or strong, has provided the basis for the surnames Harding, Hardin, and Harden. The suffix "ing" typically means "son of" in Old English. Harding is mainly English in origin, Hardin and Harden Irish or Scots. Harding sometimes lost its "g" in its travels through Ireland and America.
Some believe that the Hardings may also have a Viking connection, being descended from a Viking race from Hardanger in Norway which settled in Derbyshire.
Select Harding/Hardin/Harden Resources on The Internet
England. Hardings in England are mainly to be found in the west country. Harding was recorded in the Domesday Book as landowners in Somerset. The name fitz Harding appears in Bristol records from the early 1100's. Robert fitz Harding was a wealthy Bristol merchant later in the century and a favorite of King Henry II (his name is still commemmorated by a pub in the town). His family held the Berkeley estate on the Severn river.
The Harding name remains common in Gloucestershire and Somerset and in neighboring counties. The nineteenth century cheese-maker Joseph Harding has been called "the father of cheddar cheese." Twentieth century Hardings have included Gilbert Harding (born in Hereford), an irascible TV personality of the 1950's, and John Harding (born in Dorset), an English field marshal who governed Malta during the last days of empire.
A Harding family was long-established at King's Newton and nearby Bonsall in Derbyshire. And Harding was for many years a neme of the northeast. Henry Harding is said to have fought against the Scots and received, as reward, land and a coat of arms. This Harding seat was at Beadnell near Sunderland. They were prominent in the region in medieval times. But little of the name remains there now. The last descendant appears to have been a Robert Harding who kept the Golden Lion inn in Newcastle in the early nineteenth century.
Ireland and Scotland. Hardings migrated to Ireland in the seventeenth century where they settled in Tipperary and east Meath. Hardins, by contrast, were to be found further north in county Armagh. The name here dates from the early 1700's. Sir Henry Hardin was the county's High Sheriff in the mid-nineteenth century. Meanwhile, the Scottish Hardens came mainly from Ayrshire where the Scotts of Harden were one of the freebooting border families.
America. In America, we find a mix of the Harding, Hardin, and Harden names. The Hardings would be mainly of English stock, the Hardins and Hardens of Scots, Irish (including possibly Hargans as well), or even of Dutch origin. Some Hardins in Virginia are descended from Martin Hardwyn (or Hardouin), an early arrival in Staten Island. The Hardins almost match the Hardings in their numbers in America. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Hardings were still mainly to be found in the northeast, New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. By contrast, the Hardin clusters were (and still are) in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas.
The first Harding immigrant to New England is believed to be Richard Harding, who is said to have left Weymouth in Dorset with his family on the Charity in 1623. Later, Abraham Harding, a glover and planter from Essex, settled in Medfield. Hardings can also be found from an early date in Barnstable on Cape Cod. These Hardings subsequently moved to Maine. The pedigree of Warren Harding from Ohio, the twenty third President of the United States, has been traced back to these early New England immigrants (although some mischievous press comment suggested that he also had mixed blood from a sea captain of Afro-Caribbean descent).
Hardins also arrived. Many moved inland after the Revolutionary War was over. The Hardin counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, and Texas are testimony to their pioneer spirit. These were tough and sometime violent men. William Hardin fled Tennessee to escape a murder charge. He ended up in Texas, an early settler there and later a respected judge. However, his nephew, John Wesley Hardin, turned into one of the notorious gunfighters and outlaws of the Old West.
Africa. Hardings and Hardins have spread to Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Perhaps the most interesting Harding outpost is in Sierra Leone. The Krios of Sierra Leone were Africans taken by Europeans who then returned. The earliest Harding on record dates back to 1818 when Ali Eisami Gazimabe was renamed William Harding. Among the present day number are George Harding, the former dean of St. George's Cathedral in Freetown, and Prince Alex Harding, a controversial local politician.
Select Harding Miscellany
Select Harding, Hardin, and Harden Names
John Harding of the Beadnell Hardings was the author of Hardyng's Chronicles, written in the 1420's and published in 1543.
John Hardin was a pioneer and Indian fighter killed in 1792 in what is now Hardin County, Kentucky.
Warren Harding was the twenty third President of the United States.
Garrett Hardin from Texas, who died recently, is best known for his work and interest in bioethics.
Select Hardings Today
The Old English Harding or Hearding, meaning hardy, brave or strong, has provided the basis for the surnames Harding, Hardin, and Harden. The suffix "ing" typically means "son of" in Old English. Harding is mainly English in origin, Hardin and Harden Irish or Scots. Harding sometimes lost its "g" in its travels through Ireland and America.
Some believe that the Hardings may also have a Viking connection, being descended from a Viking race from Hardanger in Norway which settled in Derbyshire.
Select Harding/Hardin/Harden Resources on The Internet
- The Harden Society. Hardings in Scotland.
- Hardings in Whickham (Durham).
History section - Hollinside and the Harding family.
- Warren Harding's Ancestry. Warren Harding's genealogy.
- Emma Harding's Tipperary. A poem.
- Harding
DNA Project. Sponsored by the Harden/Hardin/Harding
Family Association.
England. Hardings in England are mainly to be found in the west country. Harding was recorded in the Domesday Book as landowners in Somerset. The name fitz Harding appears in Bristol records from the early 1100's. Robert fitz Harding was a wealthy Bristol merchant later in the century and a favorite of King Henry II (his name is still commemmorated by a pub in the town). His family held the Berkeley estate on the Severn river.
The Harding name remains common in Gloucestershire and Somerset and in neighboring counties. The nineteenth century cheese-maker Joseph Harding has been called "the father of cheddar cheese." Twentieth century Hardings have included Gilbert Harding (born in Hereford), an irascible TV personality of the 1950's, and John Harding (born in Dorset), an English field marshal who governed Malta during the last days of empire.
A Harding family was long-established at King's Newton and nearby Bonsall in Derbyshire. And Harding was for many years a neme of the northeast. Henry Harding is said to have fought against the Scots and received, as reward, land and a coat of arms. This Harding seat was at Beadnell near Sunderland. They were prominent in the region in medieval times. But little of the name remains there now. The last descendant appears to have been a Robert Harding who kept the Golden Lion inn in Newcastle in the early nineteenth century.
Ireland and Scotland. Hardings migrated to Ireland in the seventeenth century where they settled in Tipperary and east Meath. Hardins, by contrast, were to be found further north in county Armagh. The name here dates from the early 1700's. Sir Henry Hardin was the county's High Sheriff in the mid-nineteenth century. Meanwhile, the Scottish Hardens came mainly from Ayrshire where the Scotts of Harden were one of the freebooting border families.
America. In America, we find a mix of the Harding, Hardin, and Harden names. The Hardings would be mainly of English stock, the Hardins and Hardens of Scots, Irish (including possibly Hargans as well), or even of Dutch origin. Some Hardins in Virginia are descended from Martin Hardwyn (or Hardouin), an early arrival in Staten Island. The Hardins almost match the Hardings in their numbers in America. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Hardings were still mainly to be found in the northeast, New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. By contrast, the Hardin clusters were (and still are) in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas.
The first Harding immigrant to New England is believed to be Richard Harding, who is said to have left Weymouth in Dorset with his family on the Charity in 1623. Later, Abraham Harding, a glover and planter from Essex, settled in Medfield. Hardings can also be found from an early date in Barnstable on Cape Cod. These Hardings subsequently moved to Maine. The pedigree of Warren Harding from Ohio, the twenty third President of the United States, has been traced back to these early New England immigrants (although some mischievous press comment suggested that he also had mixed blood from a sea captain of Afro-Caribbean descent).
Hardins also arrived. Many moved inland after the Revolutionary War was over. The Hardin counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, and Texas are testimony to their pioneer spirit. These were tough and sometime violent men. William Hardin fled Tennessee to escape a murder charge. He ended up in Texas, an early settler there and later a respected judge. However, his nephew, John Wesley Hardin, turned into one of the notorious gunfighters and outlaws of the Old West.
Africa. Hardings and Hardins have spread to Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Perhaps the most interesting Harding outpost is in Sierra Leone. The Krios of Sierra Leone were Africans taken by Europeans who then returned. The earliest Harding on record dates back to 1818 when Ali Eisami Gazimabe was renamed William Harding. Among the present day number are George Harding, the former dean of St. George's Cathedral in Freetown, and Prince Alex Harding, a controversial local politician.
Select Harding Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Harding, Hardin, and Harden Names
John Harding of the Beadnell Hardings was the author of Hardyng's Chronicles, written in the 1420's and published in 1543.
John Hardin was a pioneer and Indian fighter killed in 1792 in what is now Hardin County, Kentucky.
Warren Harding was the twenty third President of the United States.
Garrett Hardin from Texas, who died recently, is best known for his work and interest in bioethics.
Select Hardings Today
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The Origin/Spread of Surnames