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Harney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Harney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Gaelic name used by the Harney family in ancient Ireland was Ó hAthairne, which is possibly derived from the word athardha, which means paternal. 1

Early Origins of the Harney family

The surname Harney was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Harney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harney research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harney Spelling Variations

Individual scribes in the Ireland during the Middle Ages would often record a person's name various ways. How the name was recorded depended on what that particular scribe believed the proper spelling for the name pronounced to him was. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Harney family name include Harney, Hartney, O'Harney, Hartney, Harnedy, Harnet, Harnett, Hartnet, Hartnett, Haherny and many more.

Early Notables of the Harney family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

O'Harney of Connacht

Harney Ranking

In the United States, the name Harney is the 5,308^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Harney migration to the United States +

In the late 18th century, Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of Harney:

Harney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rkhard Harney, aged 38, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3

Harney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Harney, who settled in Maryland in 1772
Thomas Harney, who arrived in America in 1798 3

Harney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rebecca Harney, aged 48, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 3
Michael Harney, who settled in Boston in 1823
Mathew, James, John, Thomas Harney, all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1840
Col. Harney, aged 40, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1840 3
William Harney, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1840 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harney Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Harney, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749

Harney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Harney from Waterford City, Ireland was married in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1814 4
Richard Harney, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
Michael Harney, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
John Harney, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1824
Elizabeth Harney, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1826
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harney 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:

Harney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Annie Harney (Harvey), (b. 1837), aged 28, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd July 1865 5
Job Harney, aged 37, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Emma Harney, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Caroline Harney, aged 16, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Emily Harney, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Harney (post 1700) +

Michael Harney, American Screen Actors Guild Award winning actor, known for his work in Erin Brockovich (2000), Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Captivity (2007)
Corinna Harney (b. 1972), American model and actress, known for Rat Race (2001), Vegas Vacation (1997) and Playboy: Jenny McCarthy, the Playboy Years (1997)
John Hopkins Harney (1806-1868), American politician and legislator from Kentucky
William Selby Harney (1800-1889), American general, Revolutionary war patriot, eponym of Fort Harney, Oregon
Susan Harney (b. 1946), American actress
Paul Harney (b. 1929), American PGA professional golfer
John Milton Harney (1789-1825), American poet
George Edward Harney (1840-1924), American architect
Ben Harney, American actor and dancer, active in his career 1972 to 1985
Benjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney (1872-1938), American songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html