Harris
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Harris Genealogy
There are local variants of the Harris name, Harries in Wales, Harriss in pockets of the Midlands, and Herries in Scotland. One Harris branch in Essex, dating back to the 1500's, claims to derive their surname from the French le herisse.
Harrises and its variants from Britain can be found in Amrerica. Some Harrises in America may have German or French ancestry.
Select Harris Resources on The Internet
England. Early references to the Harris surname are William Herry in Colchester in 1337, William Harrys in Oxfordshire in 1406, and Lawrence Harryes in Hertfordshire in 1468. Guppy, an early researcher on surnames, had the following comment on the Harrises:
A Harris family from Southminster in Essex can be traced back to around 1500. Sir Arthur Harrris from this family was a member of the Virginia company in London which helped organize the early settlement there. Another Harris family, originally from Harlow in Essex, have descendants who settled in Prince Edward Island, Canada in the 1850's.
A later Harris family from Salisbury in Wiltshire produced James Harris, a noted English diplomat at the time of the French Revolution. His grandson James was briefly Foreign Secretary in the 1850's.
Wales. The Welsh Harries name was mainly to be found in Pembrokeshire. A Harries family had settled at Tregwynt in the 1600's. They built their family home at Heathfield in Letterston in the early 19th century. Later Harries were to be found in Glamorgan.
Scotland. The Herries name appeared in Dumfriesshire on the Scottish borders. A Herries family there, dating back to Herbert Herries in 1490, were the lords of Terregles. Some may think that Harris is a Scottish name because of the Harris tweed which takes its name from the isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. This Harris name is derived from the Gaelic na hearadh.
John Harris from Yorkshire arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 1700's and founded Harrisburg (which bears his name today). His family operated a trading and ferry business and were one of principal store keepers for the emerging American frontier at that time.
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Andrew Harris was one of Lincoln's successful generals who later became Governor of Ohio.
Frank Harris, of Welsh origin who settled in America, is best known for his autobiography, My Life and Loves published in 1922, which scandalized society at the time for its description of sexual encounters and liaisons.
Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris was head of RAF Bomber Command during War World 2.
Richard Harris was an Irish-born international actor.
Thomas Harris is an American author of crime novels, notably The Silence of the Lambs.
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The Origin/Spread of Surnames
Harry was the regular pronunciation
of Henry in the Middle Ages, although Henry always appeared in official
documents. From Harry came Harris, mainly found in
the south of England, and Harrison, mainly found in the
north.
There are local variants of the Harris name, Harries in Wales, Harriss in pockets of the Midlands, and Herries in Scotland. One Harris branch in Essex, dating back to the 1500's, claims to derive their surname from the French le herisse.
Harrises and its variants from Britain can be found in Amrerica. Some Harrises in America may have German or French ancestry.
Select Harris Resources on The Internet
- The Harris Legacy. Harrises from Essex and in America.
- Harris/Harries/Herries/Harriss. Websites at Rootsweb freepages: H - Harris; Harris and variants genealogy
- Harris DNA Project. Harris DNA results.
England. Early references to the Harris surname are William Herry in Colchester in 1337, William Harrys in Oxfordshire in 1406, and Lawrence Harryes in Hertfordshire in 1468. Guppy, an early researcher on surnames, had the following comment on the Harrises:
"In the struggle between the Harrises
and the Harrisons, the former have been worsted. The Harrises in
fact have been entirely on the defensive. Not only have they been
unable to make any successful inroads into the northern territory of
the Harrisons, they have not prevented their foes from forcing a way
through their ranks and reaching the south coast."
A Harris family from Southminster in Essex can be traced back to around 1500. Sir Arthur Harrris from this family was a member of the Virginia company in London which helped organize the early settlement there. Another Harris family, originally from Harlow in Essex, have descendants who settled in Prince Edward Island, Canada in the 1850's.
A later Harris family from Salisbury in Wiltshire produced James Harris, a noted English diplomat at the time of the French Revolution. His grandson James was briefly Foreign Secretary in the 1850's.
Wales. The Welsh Harries name was mainly to be found in Pembrokeshire. A Harries family had settled at Tregwynt in the 1600's. They built their family home at Heathfield in Letterston in the early 19th century. Later Harries were to be found in Glamorgan.
Scotland. The Herries name appeared in Dumfriesshire on the Scottish borders. A Herries family there, dating back to Herbert Herries in 1490, were the lords of Terregles. Some may think that Harris is a Scottish name because of the Harris tweed which takes its name from the isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. This Harris name is derived from the Gaelic na hearadh.
America.
William Harris, who arrived on the Lion,
was one of the early settlers of Providence, Rhode Island. Elisha
Harris from this family was the Governor of the state in 1847.
Nathan Harris from Rhode Island became an early convert to the Mormon
movement.
John Harris from the Essex Southminster family came to Virginia in the 1620's. Hiis son Thomas started a tobacco plantation in Isle of Wight county. Descendants later moved onto North Carolina and Georgia. Other Harrises in Virginia went to Tennessee, Indiana, and Texas. Harris county in Texas was named after Richardson Harris, an early settler in the area in the 1820's.
John Harris from the Essex Southminster family came to Virginia in the 1620's. Hiis son Thomas started a tobacco plantation in Isle of Wight county. Descendants later moved onto North Carolina and Georgia. Other Harrises in Virginia went to Tennessee, Indiana, and Texas. Harris county in Texas was named after Richardson Harris, an early settler in the area in the 1820's.
John Harris from Yorkshire arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 1700's and founded Harrisburg (which bears his name today). His family operated a trading and ferry business and were one of principal store keepers for the emerging American frontier at that time.
Select Harris Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
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Andrew Harris was one of Lincoln's successful generals who later became Governor of Ohio.
Frank Harris, of Welsh origin who settled in America, is best known for his autobiography, My Life and Loves published in 1922, which scandalized society at the time for its description of sexual encounters and liaisons.
Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris was head of RAF Bomber Command during War World 2.
Richard Harris was an Irish-born international actor.
Thomas Harris is an American author of crime novels, notably The Silence of the Lambs.
Select Harrises Today
- 162,000 in the UK (most numerous in Hampshire)
- 175,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 72,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Australia)
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames