Harison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Harison was formed. The name was derived from the personal name Henry. The personal name Henry arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, killing King Harold, the last Saxon King of England. It is of Germanic origin, and arrived with the wave of immigration that followed King William into England from continental Europe. The surname Harison is derived from a diminutive form of the name, Harry. The name means "the son of Henry."

One source has an interesting note: "This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Harry,' this being the English attempt at pronouncing the French Henri. Thus Harry is not a nickname, of Henry, but the English representative form. Hence our endless Harrisons, not Henrysons." 1

Early Origins of the Harison family

The surname Harison was first found in Lancashire 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 Harison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harison research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1579, 1583, 1590, 1606, 1621, 1640, 1655, 1656, 1660, 1669, 1685, 1713, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Harison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harison Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Harison include Harrison, Harryson, Harieson and others.

Early Notables of the Harison family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Harrison (c. 1590-1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1669, supporter of the Royalist side in the English Civil War; John Harrison (1579-1656), a prominent inhabitant of Leeds in Yorkshire, England, in the 16th and 17th century, variously as one of the early woollen cloth merchants...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Harison family to Ireland

Some of the Harison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harison migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Harison were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Harison Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Fra Harison, who arrived in Virginia in 1644 2
Miles Harison, who landed in Maryland in 1677 2

The Harison 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: Vincit qui patitur
Motto Translation: He conquers who endures.

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)
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)