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Hargreaves History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Hargreaves History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Hargreaves name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Hargrave, a place-name found in the counties of Cheshire, Northamptonshire, and Suffolk. There is also a Hargrave Hall in Cheshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English elements har, which meant "hare" or "on the border," and graf or græfe, which meant "grove." The place-name as a whole meant "grove filled with rabbits" or "grove on a border." 1

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from a Saxon occupation, as "the provider or commissary of an army, from Here or Har, an army, and grave, a steward or disposer." 2

"Hargreaves is an old Lancashire name. It is also common in the West Riding, particularly in the Leeds district. There are two Cheshire hamlets called Hargrave." 3

Early Origins of the Hargreaves family

The surname Hargreaves was first found in Cheshire at Hargrave, which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Haregrave. The Domesday Book also lists Haragrauna in Suffolk and Haregrave in Northamptonshire. 4

The first record of the family was Geoffrey de Haregrave who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1188. 5 A few years later, in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, John de Haregrave was listed as holding lands in Buckinghamshire at that time.

Later again, in East Cheshire in 1296, two records were found: William de Haregreve; and Richard de Haregreve. "The Hargreaves of Lancashire probably spring from Hargrave, Cheshire." 6

The Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire listed Henry de Hargreve in 1332. 5 This latter source notes that Hargreave Hall was located in Cheshire, but we can find no record of it today.

Early History of the Hargreaves family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hargreaves research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1286, 1332, 1486, 1499, 1529, 1541, 1690, 1739 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Hargreaves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hargreaves Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hargreaves has undergone many spelling variations, including Hargrove, Hargreave, Hargreaves, Hargrave, Hargroves and many more.

Early Notables of the Hargreaves family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hargreaves Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hargreaves World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hargreaves is the 12,826^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7 However, in Australia, the name Hargreaves is ranked the 910^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,319 people with that name. 8 And in New Zealand, the name Hargreaves is the 881^st popular surname with an estimated 831 people with that name. 9 The United Kingdom ranks Hargreaves as 530^th with 12,413 people. 10

Hargreaves migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hargreaves were among those contributors:

Hargreaves Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Hargreaves, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765

Hargreaves Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hargreaves, who arrived in New York in 1842 11
Samuel Hargreaves, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1866 11

Hargreaves Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Joseph Hargreaves, (b. 1881), aged 24, Cornish weaver from Liskeard, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 28th April 1905 en route to Newburgh, New York, USA 12

Hargreaves migration to Australia +

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

Hargreaves Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joel Hargreaves, British Convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Mr. Simon Hargreaves, British convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
John Hargreaves, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 15
Samuel Hargreaves, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 16
Mr. William Hargreaves, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hargreaves 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:

Hargreaves Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Hargreaves, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bolton" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 30th April 1840 18
Mr. Hargreaves, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bolton" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 30th April 1840 18
Eliza Hargreaves, aged 17, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1840
Winter Hargreaves, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1840
Edward Allen Hargreaves, who landed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hargreaves (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General John Morris Hargreaves (1901-1959), American Air Surgeon, Air Defense Command (1951-1952) 19
Everett G. Hargreaves, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 8½ aerial victories
Bryn Hargreaves (1985-2023), English professional rugby league footballer (2004-2012)
Thomas Hargreaves (1775-1846), English miniature-painter, born at Liverpool in 1775, the son of Henry Hargreaves, a woollen-draper 20
James Hargreaves (1720-1778), English weaver and inventor of the spinning-jenny, probably a native of Blackburn 20
Joseph Kenneth "Ken" Hargreaves MBE, KSG (1939-2012), English Conservative Member of Parliament for the Hyndburn constituency, Lancashire (1983 and 1992)
William H Hargreaves, English medical researcher and educator
Owen Hargreaves (b. 1981), English professional footballer
James Hargreaves (1834-1915), English chemist and inventor
Mr. Mark Geoffrey Hargreaves M.V.O., British former Head Coachman for the Royal Mews was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order on 17th June 2017
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hargreaves family +

North Sea Flood

W. Hargreaves, British worker aboard the trawler "Michael Griffith" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

The Hargreaves Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vincit amor patria
Motto Translation: My beloved country will conquer.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairfield.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) John Hargreaves. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hargreaves/John_Morris/USA.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020