Show ContentsHarpster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Harpster surname is derived from the German word "Herbst," meaning autumn. It has been suggested that the surname may have originally been used by people whose main work occurred during the fall harvest. For example, Herbster, most likely meant "grape harvester."

Early Origins of the Harpster family

The surname Harpster was first found in Bavaria, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. Early records include a Marquart Herbst, in Würzburg in 1220 and a Nitsche Herbist, on record in Liegnitz in 1372. They branched into many houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power.

Early History of the Harpster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harpster research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1666, 1743 and 1807 are included under the topic Early Harpster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harpster Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Herbst, Herbest, Herbster, Harpster, Herbstheiner, Herbestheim, Herbstman, Erbst, Erbest, Herbestman, Herbestmann, Erbestmann, Herbstmann, Herbsteiner and many more.

Early Notables of the Harpster family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harpster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harpster Ranking

In the United States, the name Harpster is the 16,514th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Harpster migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harpster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Michael Harpster, who settled in Philadelphia in 1741
Harpster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Frederick Harpster, who landed in Maryland in 1806 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Harpster (post 1700) +

  • Howard Harpster (1907-1980), American college football player and coach, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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