Contents [hide]

Harms History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Harms History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The distinguished surname Harms is of very ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements "heri," meaning "army," and "man," meaning "man."

Early Origins of the Harms family

The surname Harms was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.

One of the first records of the family was Hermann (fl. 1070), a hagiographer, probably a native of Lorraine, was the Archdeacon of Herfast, Bishop of Thetford, and helped him in his attempt to assert the jurisdiction of his see over St. Edmund's Abbey. 1

Hermann (d. 1078), first bishop of Salisbury, a native of Lorraine, was probably one of the clerks of the royal chapel under the Danish dynasty, and held that office when, in 1045, Edward the Confessor appointed him bishop of Ramsbury or Wilton, in succession to Brihtwold. 1

Early History of the Harms family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harms research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1621, 1625, 1643, 1646, 1650, 1664, 1678, 1686, 1695, 1703, 1708, 1719, 1727, 1734, 1769, 1786, 1828 and 1842 are included under the topic Early Harms History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harms Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Herman, Hermann, Herrman, Herrmann, Hörman, Hörmann, Hierman, Harmen, Harmand, Harman, Armand, Armant, Hermand, Arman, Erman, Ermann, Hearman, Hearmann, Harm, Harmsen, Harmson and many more.

Early Notables of the Harms family

Notable figures of the time with the name Harms were

Johann Oswald Harms (1643-1708), a German Baroque painter, engraver

Harms Ranking

In the United States, the name Harms is the 2,454^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Netherlands, the name Harms is ranked the 711^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,649 people with that name. 3

Harms migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harms Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Harms, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 4

Harms Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wilhelm Harms, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 4
Arnd Harms, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1808 4
Carsten Harms, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 4
Cath Harms, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 4
Cord Harms, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harms Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Hendrick Harms, who landed in Alabama in 1917 4

Harms migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harms Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Gehrhard Harms, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
Johan Harms, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
Peter Harms, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
Wittwi Harms, who landed in Manitoba in 1875
Johan Harms, who arrived in Manitoba in 1876
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harms 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:

Harms Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Nicholas Harms, aged 26, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
Catherine Harms, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
Henry Harms, aged 8 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873

Contemporary Notables of the name Harms (post 1700) +

Oliver Raymond Harms (1901-1980), American President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod from 1962 to 1969
Joni Harms (b. 1959), American country music singer-songwriter
Jesse Harms (b. 1953), American session keyboard player and songwriter
Alexander T. Harms (1855-1901), American businessman who co-founded Thomas B. Harms Music Publishing Company, brother of Thomas B. Harms
Thomas B. Harms (1860-1906), American businessman who co-founded Thomas B. Harms Music Publishing Company, a popular music publishing company in 1881
John N. Harms (b. 1940), American politician, Member of the Nebraska Legislature (2007-2015)
Ron Harms (b. 1936), former American football coach
Samuel D. Harms, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 2008 5
Fred H. Harms, American politician, Delegate to Iowa convention to ratify 21st amendment from Fayette County, 1933 5
Edward Clair Harms Jr. (1924-2005), American politician, Mayor of Springfield, Oregon, 1952-60 5
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Harms family +

Bismarck

Kurt Harms (1919-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6

Citations +

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 Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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, October 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details