Show ContentsHardage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hardage

What does the name Hardage mean?

The name Hardage is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Hardacre, Clapham, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Hearda, and the Old English word æcer or the Old Scandinavian word akr, both of which mean "plot of cultivated land." The place-name as a whole means "Hearda's farmland." 1

Another source claims the name was derived from the ancient Saxon word Hardgear meaning "a strong spear," and in this case it would not have any relationship to farmland.

Early Origins of the Hardage family

The surname Hardage was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Willelmus Hardaker; and Nicholaus Harthacre as holding lands there at that time. "Yorkshire must be looked upon as the chief centre." 2

There was one lone early entry for the family in Somerset, that of John de Hordacre, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III." 3

And in the village of Charlton, Worcestershire, in 1240 records show William de Handsacre held Charlton Manor.

Early History of the Hardage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hardage research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1321 and 1343 are included under the topic Early Hardage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hardage Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Hardage were recorded, including Hardacre, Hardaker, Hardiker, Handsacre, Handacre and others.

Early Notables of the Hardage family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William Handsacre (b. c. 1300) in Handesacre in Armitage, Staffordshire. He married Eleanor circa 1321 at of Charlton, Worcestershire. His daughter Elizabeth married...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hardage Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hardage Ranking

In the United States, the name Hardage is the 18,192nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4


Hardage migration to Australia +

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

Hardage Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Hardage, British Convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hardage (post 1700) +

  • Sam Hardage, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 6
  • Mitchell Hardage, American cinematographer and editor, known for The Facebook Book (2014), Serenade (2015) and Frame
  • Phil Hardage, American Directors Guild of America Award winning assistant director, known for his work on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), The Notebook (2004) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
  • Louis Woolford "Lewie" Hardage (1891-1973), American college football player and college football and baseball coach


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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