Contents [hide]

Harrington History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Harrington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Harrington surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived at a local named Harrington, in Cumberland. Today, Harrington is on the Cumbrian coast with a population of about 5000. There is a small hamlet named Harrington in Lincolnshire and a small village and civil parish in Northamptonshire so named. The name was derived from the Old English Hoeferingtun which meant "settlement associated with Hoefer" or "settlement on stony ground". 1

Early Origins of the Harrington family

The surname Harrington was first found in Cumberland, where the first record of the name was Robert de Heverington in the reign of Richard I (1189-1199). William de Harinton was listed in the Assize Rolls on Lancashire in 1202 and Richard de Harington was listed in the Rotuli Hundredorum of 1274. John Harington was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 2 A few years later, Ricardus de Heryngton was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379. 3

Early History of the Harrington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harrington research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1275, 1328, 1347, 1357, 1363, 1406, 1523, 1539, 1560, 1607, 1611, 1612, 1613, 1627, 1646, 1653, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1664, 1674, 1677, 1680, 1693 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Harrington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harrington 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 Harrington include Harrington, Harington and others.

Early Notables of the Harrington family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Harington, 1st Baron Harington (d. 1347); John Harington, 2nd Baron Harington (1328-1363); Robert Harington, 3rd Baron Harington (1357-1406); Sir James Harrington or Harington, 3rd Baronet of Rid...
William Harrington (d. 1523), was an English divine, son of William Harrington, of Newbigging, Cumberland. 4
Sir John Harington (or Harrington) (1560-1612), of Kelston, was an English courtier, author and translator, popularly known as the inventor of the flush toilet. He became prominent at Queen Elizabeth...
John Harrington, first Lord Harington of Exton (d. 1613), was the eldest son of Sir James Harington, kt., of Exton Hall, Rutlandshire. 4
James Harrington or Harington (1611-1677), was a political theorist, eldest son of Sir Sapcotes Harrington of Rand, Lincolnshire, by his first wife, Jane, daughter of Sir William Samwell of Upton, Nor...
James Harrington (1664-1693), was an English lawyer and poet, son of James Harrington of Waltham Abbey, Essex. 4

Harrington World Ranking

In the United States, the name Harrington is the 478^th most popular surname with an estimated 59,688 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Harrington is ranked the 523^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,363 people with that name. 6 And in New Zealand, the name Harrington is the 669^th popular surname with an estimated 1,056 people with that name. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Harrington as 646^th with 10,085 people. 8

Migration of the Harrington family to Ireland

Some of the Harrington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harrington 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:

Harrington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Harrington who arrived in Virginia in 1606
Thomas Harrington, who settled in Maryland in 1633
William Harrington, who landed in Maryland in 1633-1641 9
Robert Harrington, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1634 9
Jo Harrington, who arrived in Maryland in 1635 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harrington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Harrington, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1768 9

Harrington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Harrington, who landed in Alexandria, Va in 1818 9
C. Harrington, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1822
Michael Harrington, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 9
Bridget Harrington, who settled in Boston in 1850
Joseph Harrington, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harrington migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harrington Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jabez Harrington, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760

Harrington Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Johana Harrington, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1826
Honors Harrington, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1828
John Harrington, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1830
John Harrington, who landed in Canada in 1831
Reuben Harrington, who arrived in Canada in 1832
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harrington Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Miss N Harrington, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Harrington migration to Australia +

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

Harrington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Harrington, (Falby, Peggy, Sullivan), (b. 1764), aged 46, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Harrington, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Thomas Harrington, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Jeramiah Harrington, (Jeremiah), (b. 1786), aged 34, Irish sailor who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Miss Matty Harrington, (Harrigan, Hannagan), (b. 1807), aged 19, Irish house servant who was convicted in Londonderry, Ireland for 7 years for shop lifting, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1891 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harrington 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:

Harrington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Mary Ann Harrington, (b. 1803), aged 52, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 15
Mr. William Harrington, (b. 1803), aged 52, British wheelwright travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 15
Mr. Thomas Harrington, (b. 1835), aged 20, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 15
Miss Eliza Harrington, (b. 1837), aged 18, British servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 15
Miss Sarah Ann Harrington, (b. 1842), aged 17, English domestic servant from Suffolk travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Harrington (post 1700) +

David C. Harrington (1954-2022), American politician, Member of the Maryland State Senate (2008-2011), President and CEO of the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce (2008-2022)
Betty-Jean Maycock Harrington (b. 1942), American Olympic gymnast from Cleveland, Ohio, member of the American gymnastics team that placed ninth at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Penny E. Harrington (1942-2021), American police officer who became the first female chief of the Portland Police Bureau, making her the first female to head a major police department in the United States
Al Harrington (1935-2021), born Tausau Ta'a, a Samoan-American actor, best known for his role as Detective Ben Kokua on television series Hawaii Five-O and as Mamo Kahike on its 2010 reboot
Edward Harrington (1935-2018), known by his stage name Eddy Clearwater, an American blues musician
Charles Michael "Mickey" Harrington (1934-2017), American Major League Baseball player who played one game for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1963
William P. Harrington, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 12th District, 1962; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 17th District, 1964, 1966 17
William J. Harrington, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from East Windsor, 1939-40 17
William F. Harrington, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 16th District, 1935 17
William F. Harrington, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1908 17
... (Another 127 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Harrington family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Albert Frederick Harrington (1918-1941), Australian Acting Leading Seaman from Victoria Park, Western Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 18

HMS Dorsetshire

Timothy Harrington (d. 1945), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 19

HMS Royal Oak

Kenneth Harrington, British Boy Telegraphist with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 20

RMS Titanic

Mr. Charles Henry Harrington (d. 1912), aged 37, American First Class passenger from Washington, D.C. who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 21

USS Arizona

Mr. Keith Homer Harrington, American Seaman First Class from Missouri, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 22

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html