Hardison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Hardison is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the village of Hardisty Hill located in the parish of Fewston, in the county of Yorkshire. In it's Old English form this place-name was originally Hardolfsty with its origin in the name Hardulf. "The Hardistys hail from the parish of Fewston, seven miles from Otley. The name is still familiar there, and Hardisty Hill is a spot there. The Hardistys (chiefly farmers) have probably not moved from their home for six centuries." 1

Early Origins of the Hardison family

The surname Hardison was first found in Yorkshire, where the first record was of John de Hardolfsty who was listed as a Freeman of York in 1379. Later, William Hardosty was listed as a freeman in 1450 and John Hardesty was later listed as freeman in 1659. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include entries for Johannes de Hardolfsty and Stephanus de Hardolfsty. "These instances come from Timble Great (Villa de Tymble), a village in the parish of Fewston. The little stock has ramified well. Many of our largest represented surnames hail from a single pair located in a small spot. A large family of boys, who marry, and beget boys, soon sets the ball rolling." 1

Early History of the Hardison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hardison research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1379 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Hardison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hardison Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hardison has been recorded under many different variations, including Hardisty, Hardesty, Hardistry, Hardest and others.

Early Notables of the Hardison family

More information is included under the topic Early Hardison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hardison Ranking

In the United States, the name Hardison is the 2,602^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Hardison migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hardison or a variant listed above:

Hardison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G Hardison, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Hardison (post 1700) +

Ruth Inge Hardison (1914-2016), American sculptor, artist, and photographer, best known for her 1960s busts entitled "Negro Giants in History"
William David "Dee" Hardison (1956-2018), American NFL football defensive lineman who played from 1978 to 1988
Marcus Hardison (b. 1992), American football defensive tackle
Wallace Libby Hardison (1850-1909), American businessman, co-founder of Union Oil
Kadeem Hardison (b. 1965), American actor, best known for his role as Dwayne Wayne on A Different World
LaVon Hardison, American swing jazz musician
Benjamin Hardison (1761-1823), American prisoner sent to Canada during the American Revolution to become a farmer, miller and politician who represented 4th Lincoln and Norfolk in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada (1797-1800)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)