Harber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The founding heritage of the Harber family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Harber comes from when one of the family worked as a person who ran a lodging house. This surname is a metonymic form of the surname Harberer, and is derived from the Old English word herebeorg, which means shelter or lodging. 1

Early Origins of the Harber family

The surname Harber was first found in Cambridgeshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Geoffrey Herbour and John Herbour as holding lands there at that time. 2

Two early London records show William le Herber in the Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinesi; and Richard le Hareber in the Munimenta Gildhallæ Londoniensis. 1

Early History of the Harber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harber research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1575, 1596, 1635, 1676, 1679, 1689, 1690, 1692 and 1785 are included under the topic Early Harber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harber Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Harber has been spelled many different ways, including Arbour, Arbor, Harbord, Harbard, Hardboard, Harboard, Harber, Harbot and many more.

Early Notables of the Harber family

Distinguished members of the family include William Harbord (1635-1692), of Grafton Park, an English diplomat and politician, Privy Counsellor and Paymaster of the Forces in Ireland in 1689, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in 1690. He was the first English ambassador to Turkey...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harber Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harber Ranking

In the United States, the name Harber is the 8,646^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Harber migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Harbers to arrive in North America:

Harber Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Frank Harber, who settled in Virginia in 1647
Fra Harber, who landed in Virginia in 1647 4
Georg Harber, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 4
John Harber, who landed in Maryland in 1678 4

Harber Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Trina Harber, aged 10, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
Lily Harber, aged 26, who landed in America from Leamington, England, in 1910
D. Harber, aged 43, who landed in America, in 1910
Helen Harber, aged 13, who landed in America, in 1910
Jessie Harber, aged 40, who settled in America from Slough, England, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harber migration to Australia +

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

Harber Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Harber, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Harber (post 1700) +

W. Elmer Harber, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956 6
R. T. Harber, American politician, Mayor of Seminole, Oklahoma, 1952-56 6
J. N. Harber, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1940; Arizona Democratic State Chair, 1955 6
Gary Harber, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 24th District, 2002 6
Edgar M. Harber, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1912 6
Aaron Harber, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1996, 2000 6
Giles B. Harber (1849-1925), American rear admiral of the United States Navy, one-time Commander-in-Chief of both the United States Atlantic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet
John Harber (1889-1962), English cricketer
Jane Harber, Australian actress, known for her roles in A Moody Christmas (2012), and Offspring (2010-2012)
Denzil Dean Harber (1909-1966), British Trotskyist leader and British ornithologist

The Harber Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Equanimiter
Motto Translation: With equanimity.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html