Harkin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Harkin is an anglicized form of the Patronymic Irish surname "O hEarcain," which is derived from the word "earc," meaning "red." Thus, the surname would have originally been born by a "descendant of Red."
Early Origins of the Harkin family
The surname Harkin was first found in at Inishowen, in County Donegal where members of the family were erenaghs of Clonska, a parish near Malin Head. They are mentioned as such in Bishop Montgomery's diocesan survey of 1606. Danieal O'Harcan died in 1581 as a Catholic martyr in Ulster.
Early History of the Harkin family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harkin research. Another 21 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1780, 1814 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Harkin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Harkin Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Harkin, Harkan, O'Harkin, ÓhEarcáin and others.
Early Notables of the Harkin family
More information is included under the topic Early Harkin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Harkin migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Harkin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Bryan Harkin, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 1
Harkin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Nancy Harkin, aged 30, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 1
- Nelly Harkin, aged 4, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 1
- William Harkin, aged 6, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 1
- Patrick Harkin, who landed in Maryland in 1809 1
- Hugh Harkin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Harkin migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Harkin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Edward Harkin, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
- William Harkin, aged 20, a weaver, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
- Kitty Harkin, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
- Patrick Harkin, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
- Charles Harkin, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Harkin migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Harkin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Catherine Harkin, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"
Harkin 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:
Harkin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- William Harkin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
- Annie Harkin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
Contemporary Notables of the name Harkin (post 1700) +
- Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin (b. 1939), American politician, Senator from Iowa (1985-)
- Ruth Harkin (b. 1944), U.S. lawyer, wife of Tom Harkin
- Michael E. Harkin (b. 1958), U.S. anthropologist
- Thomas Richard Harkin (b. 1939), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Iowa 5th District, 1975-85; U.S. Senator from Iowa, 1985-; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 2
- Maurice "Mo" Harkin (b. 1979), Northern Irish footballer
- Fergal Harkin (b. 1976), retired Irish footballer
- Terry Harkin (b. 1941), retired Northern Irish footballer
- Bryan Harkin (b. 1980), Northern Irish footballer
- Marian Harkin (b. 1953), Irish politician
- James B. Harkin (1875-1955), Canadian first commissioner for national parks (1911-1936), eponym of the Harkin Conservation Award
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Harkin family +
HMS Royal Oak
- Phillip Reginald Harkin (1911-1939), British Leading Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 3
Citations +
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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