Harvard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Harvard is derived from the Old English personal name "Hereweard," which is in turn made up of the elements "here," which meant army, and "weard," which meant "guard." 1

Early Origins of the Harvard family

The surname Harvard was first found in Herefordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Harvard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harvard research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1159, 1431, 1442, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1545, 1600, 1607, 1625, 1637 and 1638 are included under the topic Early Harvard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harvard Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Harvard family name include Havard, Harvard, Haverd, Harverd and others.

Early Notables of the Harvard family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Harvard (1607-1638), English minister who emigrated to America in 1637, but died a year later of tuberculosis...
He bequeathed Massachusetts Bay Colony's New College which was later renamed Harvard College in his honor...
His father was Robert Harvard, butcher, of Southwark, where there lived several families of that name (spelled Hayward, Harver, Harwood, Harvye, and otherwise), some butchers, others innkeepers...

Harvard Ranking

In the United States, the name Harvard is the 17,322^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Harvard migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Harvard surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Harvard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Harvard (1607-38), namesake of Harvard University, who immigrated to Massachusetts in 1637
John Harvard, who landed in New England in 1637 3
Sarah Harvard, who settled in Virginia in 1668

Harvard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George Harvard, aged 31, who landed in America, in 1905
Jack Sydney Harvard, aged 17, who landed in America from London, England, in 1912
Robert W Harvard, aged 22, who settled in America from London, England, in 1912
Lionel de Y. Harvard, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1914
Gilmore Harvard, aged 50, who settled in America, in 1921
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Harvard (post 1700) +

John Harvard (1607-1638), English minister who emigrated to America in 1637, but died a year later of tuberculosis. He bequeathed Massachusetts Bay Colony's New College which was later renamed Harvard College in his honor
John Harvard PC OM (1938-2016), Canadian journalist, politician 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (2004-2009)
George Harvard Cranswick (1882-1954), English prelate, 2nd Bishop of Gippsland (1917-1942)
Brigadier-General Ralph Harvard Goldthwaite (1882-1969), American Commanding Officer, Army-Navy General Hospital at Hot Springs National Park (1940-1945) 4
Harvard Noble, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 13th District, 1943-48 5

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Ralph Goldthwaite. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Goldthwaite/Ralph_Harvard/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html