Show ContentsHarleston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Harleston comes from when the family resided in the township of Hurlston in the parish of Acton in the county of Cheshire. This English surname was originally derived from the personal name Hurel, as well as the Old English word tun, which denoted an enclosure or farm.

Early Origins of the Harleston family

The surname Harleston was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Harleston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harleston research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harleston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harleston Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Harleston include Hurlston, Hurlstons, Hurlstones, Hurlstone, Hurleston, Hurlestone, Hurlestons, Hurlestones, Herlston and many more.

Early Notables of the Harleston family

Another 25 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harleston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Harleston migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Harleston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Georg Harleston, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Harleston (post 1700) +

  • Edwin Augustus Harleston (1882-1931), American artist
  • George B. Harleston, American politician, Mayor of Monroe, Michigan, 1837 2


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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