Show ContentsHarbar Surname History

The name Harbar is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a name for someone who worked as a person who ran a lodging house. This surname is a metonymic form of the surname Harberer, and is derived from the Old English word herebeorg, which means shelter or lodging. 1

Early Origins of the Harbar family

The surname Harbar was first found in Cambridgeshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Geoffrey Herbour and John Herbour as holding lands there at that time. 2

Two early London records show William le Herber in the Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinesi; and Richard le Hareber in the Munimenta Gildhallæ Londoniensis. 1

Early History of the Harbar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harbar research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1575, 1596, 1635, 1676, 1679, 1689, 1690, 1692 and 1785 are included under the topic Early Harbar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harbar Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Harbar are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Harbar include: Arbour, Arbor, Harbord, Harbard, Hardboard, Harboard, Harber, Harbot and many more.

Early Notables of the Harbar family

Distinguished members of the family include William Harbord (1635-1692), of Grafton Park, an English diplomat and politician, Privy Counsellor and Paymaster of the Forces in Ireland in 1689, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in 1690. He was the first English ambassador to Turkey...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harbar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand Harbar migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Harbar Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J.T. Harbar, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1870 3


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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