Harris ( name ) - wikipedia Harris ( name ) This article is about the surname. For a list of people with this surname, see List of people with surname Harris. Harris Family name Region of origin Scotland, Wales, Ireland, England Footnotes : Frequency and comparisons : Harris is a ( patronymic or paternal ) family name of British origins, and has many different spellings, none of which are definitive or ' correct '. These spellings are largely regional which, when combined with the fact that the spelling of modern English would only standardise in the 17th through 19th centuries, has led to different branches of the same families having different spellings of the name. Harris is the 23rd most common surname in England and 21st most common surname in the United States. Contents 1 Spellings ( in alphabetical order ) and their origins 2 Origin 3 Migration 4 Distribution 4.1 England 4.2 United States 5 Coats of arms 6 References Spellings ( in alphabetical order ) and their origins Haris - common in Bosnia, mythological Greek name Haris, which means `` Grace '' or an origin of the Arabic name Haris, which means `` Lion '' or `` Guardian ''. Harish - quite a common first name and is a combination of Hari and Ishwar and means Vishnu God or Lord. Harries - common in West Wales Harris - most common spelling originated in East Wales, most of England and some of Scotland Harriss - originated in pockets of England, namely West Berkshire, West Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire & Northamptonshire Harrys - uncommon Harys - rare Heriz - medieval spelling of the name, first found in France and also found in Spain Herrice - a French spelling Herries - a Scottish spelling Parry - a contraction of the Welsh patronymic `` ap Harry '' Origin In most cases the Harris surname appears to be British in origin. It was commonly adopted as a surname in south western England, the Midlands, Essex and Wales. As with other similar names it was adopted by most families in England between 1300 and 1400, and later in Wales and Scotland. Very few families used the name prior to 1300. Some other Harris families originated in Germany, France, etc., and adopted the name Harris upon immigration to Britain or America. Migration Irish Harris families probably originate from England, Wales and Scotland and arrived in Ireland during the conquest of Ireland c. 1603. Harrises also began to emigrate to Canada and America in the 17th century, to Australia and New Zealand in the 18th century and to South Africa in the 19th century. Initial numbers of emigrants were small and it was not until the last half of the 19th century that large numbers of Harrises emigrated from Britain. Distribution England In 2014 statistics for different spellings of Harris were : - Harris rank = 23 approximate number = 89,698 Harries rank = 1,270 approximate number = 4,604 Harriss rank = 1,929 approximate number = 990 Herries rank = 2,071 approximate number = 226 United States In 2000 Harris ranked twenty - fourth in the United States Census, down from fifteenth in the 1990 Census. Coats of arms Very few Harrises have any association with, or the right to bear, coats of arms. Throughout the ages various Harrises have been awarded arms by the College of Arms, London, but very few were hereditary ( passed on to successive generations ). As is often the case in heraldry, a tradition has emerged in the design of different Harris coats of arms ; one or more hedgehogs are often incorporated into the blazon. The original reason for this has been lost in time, but it is likely that it was originally due to one, or both, of the following explanations : - the French name Herrice sounds similar to herison, which is French for hedgehog. Plays on words like this are fairly common in heraldry and arms using the technique are referred to as canting arms. the original bearer had spiky hair, resembling a hedgehog. References ^ Jump up to : `` Harris Surname Map ''. forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Haris ''. Greek-names.info. 2012 - 05 - 15. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 28. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Census Bureau ''. Census.gov. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 28. Jump up ^ United States Census Bureau ( 9 May 1995 ). s : 1990 Census Name Files dist. all. last ( 1 - 100 ). Retrieved on 2008 - 07 - 04. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harris_(name)&oldid=799400885 '' Categories : Patronymic surnames Surnames of English origin Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Eesti Slovenščina Edit links This page was last edited on 7 September 2017, at 14 : 19. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where does the last name harris originate from
Answer: England