Contents [hide]

Harkins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Harkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The story of the Harkins family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The name Harkins was derived from Henry. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the diminutive Harry; it is a double diminutive of Harry in the form Har-kin.

Early Origins of the Harkins family

The surname Harkins was first found in Norfolk, where Edwinus and Roger filius Hardekin was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1175. Years later, John Hardekyn, Herkyn was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327. 1

Henry Harkeley (fl. 1316), was Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1313 to 1316 and Doctor of Divinity; he taught at Oxford in the early part of the fourteenth century. 2

Early History of the Harkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harkins research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1890 is included under the topic Early Harkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harkins Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Harkins has been spelled Harkin, Harken, Harkins, Hacon, Hakon, Haken and many more.

Early Notables of the Harkins family

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

Harkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Harkins is the 2,695^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Harkins family to Ireland

Some of the Harkins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harkins migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Harkins:

Harkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Harkins, who landed in America in 1801 4
Dennis Harkins, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1824 4
John Harkins, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1849 4
Patrick Harkins, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1860 4
Andrew, Daniel, Edward, James, John, Patrick and William Harkins all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1830 and 1870
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harkins Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Annie Harkins, aged 19, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1900
Annie Harkins, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from Donegal, in 1904
Anna Harkins, aged 21, who landed in America from Derry, in 1906
Andrew Harkins, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Bathgate, Scotland, in 1913
Annie Harkins, aged 24, who landed in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harkins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harkins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Walter Harkins, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Harkins Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Anna Harkins, aged 4, who settled in Halifax, Canada, in 1911

Harkins migration to Australia +

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

Harkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Dominick Harkins, British convict who was convicted in Jamaica for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. John Harkins, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Neil Harkins, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. James Harkins, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Harkins, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Harkins 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:

Harkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J Harkins, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Harkins (post 1700) +

Lida E. Harkins, American former politician, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1989-2011
George W. Harkins (1810-1861), American attorney and chief of the Choctaw tribe during the Indian removals
Todd Michael Harkins (b. 1968), retired American professional NHL ice hockey player
Brett Alan Harkins (b. 1970), retired American professional NHL ice hockey left winger who played from 1993 to 2008, younger brother of Todd Harkins
John Raymond Harkins (1932-1999), American stage, film, and television actor, active 1955 to 1996
Matthew Harkins (1845-1921), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Providence (1887 to 1921)
Patrick J. "Pat" Harkins (b. 1963), American politician, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 1st district (2007-)
Macall Harkins (b. 1986), American professional tennis player
Dwight “Red” Harkins (1915-1974), American businessman who founded Harkins Theatres, a movie theater chain in 1933
John Joseph "Pa" Harkins (1859-1940), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1884 to 1888
... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Harkins family +

Lady of the Lake

Miss Mary Harkins (b. 1811), Irish traveller from Castletown, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Margaret Harkins (b. 1807), Irish traveller from Castletown, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Mr. John Harkins (b. 1815), Irish labourer from Castletown, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking
Mr. Patrick Harkins (b. 1812), Irish labourer from Castletown, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking
Mr. James Harkins (b. 1809), Irish labourer from Castletown, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle