Show ContentsHarn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished English surname Harn comes from several different origins. Firstly, it is derived from the Old English "hyrne," meaning "nook, corner;" in this instance, the name would have been originally borne by someone who lived in a corner residence.

Alternatively, the name may be derived from a place name; there is a town called Herne in Kent and a Hirn in Hampshire, and the progenitor of the name may have hailed from one of these towns. Finally, the name may be a variant of the surname Heron.

Early Origins of the Harn family

The surname Harn was first found in Dorset at Hurn, village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Herne. 1

Literally the place name means "place at the angle or corner of land," from the Old English word "hyrne." 2

Holbeach Hurn is a small fenland village in the South Holland district of southern Lincolnshire and Hurn is a tything, in the parish, union, and hundred of Christchurch, Ringwood in the county of Southampton. 3

The first record of the family was found in Hampshire where Gunnora de la Hurn was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1212. Later Walter Atehurne was registered in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1267 and later again, Henry en le Hurne was registered in the Hundredorum Rolls for Berkshire in 1279. 4

In Oxfordshire Ralph in pe Hurne was registered there in 1279 and later, William del Herne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 4

Early History of the Harn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harn research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1212, 1267, 1279, 1327, 1524, 1610, 1611, 1620, 1644, 1670, 1678, 1710, 1711, 1722, 1735 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Harn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harn Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Harn were recorded, including Hern, Herne, Hearn, Hearne, Hurn, Hurne, Harn and others.

Early Notables of the Harn family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Herne or Haveringland, sheriff of Norfolk who was ennobled in 1620.John Herne (fl. 1644), was an English lawyer, admitted a student at Lincoln's Inn on 21 Jan. 1610-1611, and was afterwards called to the bar there. 5Thomas Herne (d. 1722), was a controversialist, a native of Suffolk who was admitted as...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harn Ranking

In the United States, the name Harn is the 18,191st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Ireland Migration of the Harn family to Ireland

Some of the Harn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Harn migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Harn family emigrate to North America:

Harn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Henrich Harn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1764 7
  • Jacob Philip Harn, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1770 7
Harn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • W H Harn, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
  • Hermann Harn, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Harn Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Gare Harn, aged 6, who immigrated to America, in 1901
  • Aletta Harn, aged 48, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Edith Harn, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1911
  • Geva Harn, aged 19, who landed in America from Lubien, Austria, in 1912
  • John Harn, aged 27, who landed in America, in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Harn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Harn U.E. who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1784 8
  • Mr. John Harn U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Harn (post 1700) +

  • William A. Harn (1834-1889), American commander of the New York artillery battery in the American Civil War
  • Harry Harn, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1972 9
  • G. U. Harn, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1860 9
  • Tony Harn, English guitarist and multi-instrumentalist
  • Jeanne Angeles Harn, Filipina fashion and ramp model, environmentalist, and beauty queen


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook