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Hares History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Hares History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The surname Hares was most likely originally a nickname for someone hare-like, perhaps a fast runner. It comes from the Old English word "hara," meaning "a hare" 1 or could be "a nickname for speed or timidity" or from "dweller on the stony-ground," from the Old English word hær.2

Early Origins of the Hares family

The surname Hares was first found in Surrey, where Walter le Hare was on record in 1166, and again in 1171 in the Pipe Rolls for that County. 2

Later some of the family branched to Stow-Bardolph in Norfolk where "the lands are the property of Sir Thomas Hare, Bart., whose seat, Stow Hall, is a handsome mansion finely situated. The church is chiefly in the later English style, with a square embattled tower; on the north side of the chancel is the mausoleum of the Hare family, in which are many splendid monuments." 3

John le Hare was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1197 and Ralph del Hare was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1309. 2

Other early records include: Hugh le Hare, who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 for Oxfordshire. 1

Early History of the Hares family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hares research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1197, 1309, 1484, 1539, 1540, 1557, 1601, 1602, 1606, 1611, 1636, 1667, 1668, 1671, 1707, 1708 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Hares History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hares 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 Hares 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. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Hares include: Hare, Hares, Hair and others.

Early Notables of the Hares family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Nicholas Hare of Bruisyard, Suffolk (c.1484-1557), Speaker of the House of Commons of England between 1539 and 1540; Hugh Hare, 1st Baron Coleraine (1606-1667), an English courtier; and Henry Hare, 2nd Baron Coleraine (1636-1708), an English politician and antiquary from Totteridge, Hertfordshire. Francis Hare (1671-1740), was Bishop of Chichester, born on 1 Nov. 1671 and was son of Richard Hare, the...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hares Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hares family to Ireland

Some of the Hares family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hares migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Hares or a variant listed above:

Hares Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Hares, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4

Hares migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hares Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Hares, (b. 1809), aged 19, English plasterer and tiler who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Matthew Hares, (b. 1810), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Ann Hares, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Himalaya" in 1849 7
Henry Hares (aged 26), a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Hooghly" 8
George Hares (aged 25), a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Hooghly" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hares 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:

Hares Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Hares, aged 19, a hammerman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1876

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HIMALAYA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Himalaya.htm
South Australian Register. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Rodney 1856. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/rodney1856.shtml