Show ContentsHarley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Harley Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Harley

What does the name Harley mean?

The ancestors of the name Harley date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in Harley, a place-name found in Shropshire and in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English words hare, which meant hare or rabbit, and leah, which meant forest clearing. The name as a whole meant "clearing with lots of rabbits." The original bearers of the name lived near or in such a clearing.

Early Origins of the Harley family

The surname Harley was first found in Shropshire where "it appears that Edward and Hernulf, living in the first half of the twelfth century, were lords of Harley, and the ancestors of the race who were afterwards denominated therefrom. Sixth in descent from William de Harley living in 1231 was Sir Robert de Harley." 1

"In an ancient leiger book of the abbey of Pershore, in Worcestershire is a commemoration of a noble warrior of this name, who commanding an army under Ethelred, king of England, in his wars against Sweyn, king of Denmark, gave the Danes a great defeat near that town, about the year 1013." 2

" Before the Conquest, Sir John de Harley was possessed of Harley Castle and lordship." The same, or another, Sir John de Harley accompanied the expedition to the Holy Land in 1098." 2

By the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name was scattered throughout Britain: Henry de Herley in Berkshire; and Clemens de Herleghe in Somerset. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Matilda Herlay and Willelmus Herlay. 3

Further north in Scotland, listings of the family were found in Fife and Clackmannanshire. 4

Early History of the Harley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harley research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1098, 1319, 1354, 1549, 1558, 1579, 1600, 1623, 1624, 1643, 1656, 1661, 1664, 1695, 1698, 1700, 1703, 1724, 1735 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Harley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harley Spelling Variations

Harley has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Harley have been found, including Harley, Hurley, Harrily and others.

Early Notables of the Harley family

  • William Hurley (known works 1319-1354), King's Master Carpenter for King Edward III; John Harley (died 1558), an English Bishop of Hereford; John Harley, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1549; Sir Rob...
  • Lady Brilliana Harley (1600?-1643), was an English letter-writer, second daughter of Sir Edward (afterwards Viscount) Conway. She was born about 1600 at the Brill in the Netherlands, of which place he...

Harley Ranking

the United States, the name Harley is the 2,397th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Harley family to Ireland

Some of the Harley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harley migration to Australia +

Harley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Harley who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Robert Harley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 7
  • Miss Hannah Harley1807, English house servant who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she had 2 children on board with her, she died in 1874 8
  • James Harley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Emily" in 1849 9
  • Michael Harley, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Agincourt"

Harley 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:

Harley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Charles Harley, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Ld Auckland
  • Elizabeth Harley, aged 24, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
  • W. D. Harley, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
  • Mr. Thomas Harley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "William Watson" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th February 1859 10
  • Thomas Harley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Harley migration to Canada +

Harley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Richard Harley, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
  • Daniel Harley, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
  • Thomas Harley, aged 32, a weaver, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Providence" from Cork, Ireland
  • Mr. Patrick Harley, aged 21 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Greenock" departing 19th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th July 1847 but he died on board 11

Harley migration to the United States +



Harley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Susana Harley, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 12
  • Mary Harley, who landed in Maryland in 1679 12
Harley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Daniell Harley, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 12
  • Edmund Harley, who settled in Maryland in 1725
  • Johannes Harley, aged 25, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 12
Harley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Harley, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1812 12
  • Thomas Harley, who arrived in New York in 1824 12
  • Elizabeth Harley, who landed in New York in 1840 12
  • Catharine Harley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 12
  • Cath Harley, aged 11, who landed in New York in 1854 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Harley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Robert George Harley, (b. 1863), aged 40, Cornish seaman travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 21st November 1903 en route to New York, USA 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Harley (post 1700) +

  • Steve Harley (1951-2024), born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice, an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the glam rock group Cockney Rebel and their hits "Judy Teen", "Mr. Soft" and the number one "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"
  • Robert Harley (1706-1774), English Member of Parliament for Leominster
  • John Pritt Harley (1786-1858), English actor
  • Thomas Harley (1730-1804), British politician, Sheriff of London (1764) and Lord Mayor of London (1767) 14
  • Alexander Harley (1936-1969), Scottish professional footballer
  • Joseph Auty Harley (1843-1906), New Zealand politician, Mayor of Nelson, New Zealand (1899-1901)
  • William S. Harley (1880-1943), American co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company
  • John Brian Harley (1932-1991), British geographer, cartographer, and map historian
  • Trevor Harley (b. 1958), British psychologist
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Royal Oak
  • John Alexander Haldane Harley (d. 1939), British Leading Signalman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 15

The Harley 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: Virtute et fide
Motto Translation: By valour and faith.
  1. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Rajasthan.htm
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The EMILY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Emily.htm
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 79)
  12. 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)
  13. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  14. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  15. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html

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