Harington Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

In ancient Scotland, the first people to use Harington as a surname were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name someone who lived at a local named Harrington, in Cumberland. Today, Harrington is on the Cumbrian coast with a population of about 5000. There is a small hamlet named Harrington in Lincolnshire and a small village and civil parish in Northamptonshire so named. The name was derived from the Old English Hoeferingtun which meant "settlement associated with Hoefer" or "settlement on stony ground". 1

Early Origins of the Harington family

The surname Harington was first found in Cumberland, where the first record of the name was Robert de Heverington in the reign of Richard I (1189-1199). William de Harinton was listed in the Assize Rolls on Lancashire in 1202 and Richard de Harington was listed in the Rotuli Hundredorum of 1274. John Harington was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 2 A few years later, Ricardus de Heryngton was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379. 3

Early History of the Harington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harington research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1275, 1328, 1347, 1357, 1363, 1406, 1523, 1539, 1560, 1607, 1611, 1612, 1613, 1627, 1646, 1653, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1664, 1674, 1677, 1680, 1693 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Harington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harington Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Harington has been spelled Harrington, Harington and others.

Early Notables of the Harington family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Harington, 1st Baron Harington (d. 1347); John Harington, 2nd Baron Harington (1328-1363); Robert Harington, 3rd Baron Harington (1357-1406); Sir James Harrington or Harington, 3rd Baronet of Rid...
Sir John Harington (or Harrington) (1560-1612), of Kelston, was an English courtier, author and translator, popularly known as the inventor of the flush toilet. He became prominent at Queen Elizabeth...
John Harrington, first Lord Harington of Exton (d. 1613), was the eldest son of Sir James Harington, kt., of Exton Hall, Rutlandshire. 4
James Harrington or Harington (1611-1677), was a political theorist, eldest son of Sir Sapcotes Harrington of Rand, Lincolnshire, by his first wife, Jane, daughter of Sir William Samwell of Upton, Nor...

Migration of the Harington family to Ireland

Some of the Harington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harington migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Harington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Harington, who arrived in Maryland in 1633 5

Harington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Harington, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1854 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Harington (post 1700) +

Donald Harington (b. 1935), American author
Henry Harington (1727-1816), English musician and author, born at Kelston, Somersetshire, in September 1727, son of Henry Harington of that place, descendant of Sir John Harington
Sir David Harington (b. 1944), English peer, 15th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland
Sir Nicholas John Harington (1942-2016), English peer, 14th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland, nephew of the 13th Baronet
Sir Richard Dundas Harington (1900-1981), English peer, 13th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland
Sir Richard Harington (1861-1931), English peer, 12th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland
Sir Richard Harington (1835-1911), English peer, 11th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland, first cousin of the 10th Baronet
Sir John Edward Harington (1821-1877), English peer, 10th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland
Sir James Harington (1788-1835), English peer, 9th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland
Sir John Edward Harington (1760-1831), English peer, 8th Baronet of Ridlington in the county of Rutland
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)