Show ContentsHare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the Hare family. Their name comes from Ir. O'hlr means descendant of Ir.

Early Origins of the Hare family

The surname Hare was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Hare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hare research. Another 47 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1686, 1751, 1760, 1775, 1792, 1795, 1834, 1837, 1842, 1855, 1890 and 1964 are included under the topic Early Hare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hare Spelling Variations

The medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. Hare has been recorded as Hare, Hair, Hehir, Hehr, Heher and others.

Early Notables of the Hare family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • David Hare (1775-1842), a Scottish watchmaker and philanthropist in Bengal
  • Julius Charles Hare (1795-1855), an English theological writer
  • Thomas Hare (1686-1760), Member of Parliament for Truro, Cornwall

Hare Ranking

In the United States, the name Hare is the 1,885th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. [1] However, in New Zealand, the name Hare is ranked the 900th most popular surname with an estimated 815 people with that name. [2]

Ireland Migration of the Hare family to Ireland

Some of the Hare family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hare migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Hare, or a variant listed above:

Hare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James and Susan Hare, who settled in Virginia in 1635
  • Bryan Hare, aged 27, who landed in Virginia in 1635 [3]
  • Susan Hare, who landed in Virginia in 1638 [3]
  • Nicho Hare, who landed in Virginia in 1649 [3]
  • Andrew Hare, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hare Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jarvis Hare, who landed in Maryland in 1740 [3]
Hare Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Hare, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1806 [3]
  • Robert Hare, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1807 [3]
  • Samuel Hare, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1807 [3]
  • Bernard Hare, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 [3]
  • James Hare, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1829 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Hare migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hare Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Hare, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
  • Lt. Henry Hare U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 [4]
  • Mr. John Hare U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 [4]
  • Mr. John Hare U.E. who settled in Osnabruck [South Stormont], Stormont County, Ontario c. 1784 [4]
  • Mr. John Hare U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hare Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Samuel H Hare, who arrived in Canada in 1831
  • Ms. Bridget Hare, aged 23 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 [5]
  • Miss. Elizabeth Hare, aged 15 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Broom" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle on 22nd August 1847 [5]
  • Mr. Honora Hare, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 [5]
  • Mr. John Hare, aged 2 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Hare migration to Australia +

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

Hare Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Hare, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia [6]
  • James Hare, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia [7]
  • Mr. Joseph Hare, (b. 1798), aged 38, English ploughman who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1875 [8]
  • Charles Simeon Hare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Emma" in 1836 [9]
  • Anna Maria Hare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Emma" in 1836 [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Hare 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:

Hare Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Hare, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr. Charles Hare, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 [10]
  • George Hare, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Schiehallion" in 1872
  • Anne Hare, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Schiehallion" in 1872
  • Lavinia Hare, aged 34, a needlewoman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of The Age" in 1874
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Hare migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [11]
Hare Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Hare, who arrived in Barbados with his wife and servants in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Hare (post 1700) +

  • Truxtun Hare (1878-1956), American sliver and bronze Olympic medalist for decathlon and hammer throw at the 1904 Summer Games
  • Thomas Truxton Hare (1878-1956), American Olympic silver and bronze medalist at the 1900 and 1904 games
  • Raymond Hare (1901-1994), American Foreign Officer, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1950-53) and other Middle Eastern countries
  • John Neville Hare OBE FRGS (1934-2022), English explorer, author, and conservationist born in Bexhill, Kent, known for campaigning for the preservation of the Wild Bactrian camel
  • Mr. Richard Hare, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1631 to 1632
  • Mr. Richard Hare, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1609 to 1610
  • Augustus William Hare (1792-1834), English divine, second son of Francis Hare-Naylor of Hurstmonceaux, Sussex
  • Mr. Matthew Hare O.B.E., British Chief Executive for Gigaclear, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Broadband Provision in the UK [12]
  • William Francis Hare GCMG PC (b. 1906), 5th Earl of Listowel, known as Viscount Ennismore between 1924 and 1931, an Anglo-Irish peer and Labour politician, last Secretary of State for India in 1947 and the last Governor-General of Ghana
  • William Hare (1751-1837), 1st Earl of Listowel, known as Lord Ennismore from 1800 to 1816 and as Viscount Ennismore and Listowel from 1816 to 1822, an Irish peer and Member of Parliament
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. Richard William Hare (1920-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Red Hill, Queensland, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking [13]
HMS Dorsetshire
  • Cyril Henry Hare (d. 1945), British Stoker 2nd Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking [14]
RMS Lusitania
  • Miss Bessie Hare, Irish 2nd Class passenger residing in New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered [15]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  3. 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)
  4. 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
  5. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 32)
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emma. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Emma.gif
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  12. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  13. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  14. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  15. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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