HARKNESS
Harkness is a surname of Anglo‑Scottish provenance, frequently encountered in the British Isles and the United Kingdom. Its distribution is marked by a concentration in Scotland where over five thousand persons bear the name, while the United Kingdom as a whole harbours a considerable number of individuals who carry it.
The name is rooted in the Celtic linguistic tradition of Scotland. In Gaelic, the word for stag or hart is heorot, and the suffix ness denotes a headland or cape. Consequently, the meaning of Harkness can be interpreted as “headland of the stag” or “cape of the deer,” suggesting that early bearers of the name were associated with a landscape where deer roamed abundantly.
As a locational surname, it may refer to a specific place, possibly the remote village of Hackness in Yorkshire. The element naess within the place name varies according to the locality, and the description “hook‑shaped headland” has also been proposed. The spelling of the surname appears in a number of historic variants, including Harkness, Hakkness, Hearkness and Harkess.
The earliest recorded instance of the family name in England is that of Barbara Harkkness, who married Robert Dowthwaite on 29 June 1617 at St. Andrew's in Penrith, Cumberland, during the reign of King James I. This early documentary evidence places the surname firmly within the context of early modern Britain.
During the turbulent period of the Covenanter movement, a James Harkness of Locherben was noted as the leader of a group that rescued fellow Covenanters from Royal troops at the Pass of Enterkin in 1684. His brother Thomas was executed at the Grassmarket in Edinburgh in 1685 for his involvement. These records attest to the participation of individuals bearing the surname in significant political and religious events of the 17th century.
A branch of the Harkness family emigrated from Dumfriesshire to Ulster in the 17th century, ultimately establishing themselves in County Limerick, Ireland. The Harkness of Garryfine still hold lands in that region, evidencing a long‑term settlement beyond the Scottish mainland.
From an English perspective, the surname is linked to the place name Harness in North Yorkshire. The name derives from Old English roots: heran meaning “hear” or “harken” (to obey) and nes meaning “promontory,” or alternatively from heahhsce meaning “high marsh.” The surname has also been recorded in the medieval period as Herkenes from 1228 onward, and it is believed to have originally identified people who lived near or worked on marshland.
In contemporary times, the surname persists across the United Kingdom and the United States. According to the 2018 Scotland’s People register, there were more than five thousand individuals with the name in Scotland alone. In the United States, Social Security data from 2020 place Harkness at rank 7,133 in common surnames, with high concentrations in Texas, Pennsylvania, California, New York and Minnesota. The surname also appears, though less frequently, in former British colonies in Africa including Nigeria, Ghana and the Republic of South Africa.
Variants of the surname are numerous; common forms include Harken, Harkins, Harness, Harnesser, Harker, Harkess and Harkynn. In Ireland it is recorded as Harkan, Harkann and other related spellings, while in France and the Netherlands it appears as Harknesse and Harkes. In Scotland, the spelling Harkiss has also been documented.
Thus, the surname Harkness is an Anglo‑Scottish name with deep ties to the Celtic linguistic heritage of Scotland, a documented presence in England and a substantial diaspora throughout the English‑speaking world, reflecting both geographic origins and a historical narrative rooted in the early modern period.
Typical given names associated with the Harkness surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anna
- Anne
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Harkness in...
Braille
⠓⠁⠗⠅⠝⠑⠎⠎
Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 3,430 people named Harkness in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,669th most common surname in Britain. Around 53 in a million people in Britain are named Harkness.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Harkness
- Steve Harkness - Football player
- Jack Harkness - Scottish football player (1907 to 1985)
- Jonny Harkness - Northern Irish football player
- William Harkness - American Civil War surgeon and astronomer (1837 to 1903)
- Donald Harkness - Cricketer
- Joseph Harkness - New Zealand politician (1850 to 1930)
- John Granville Harkness - Major-General, British Army (1831 to 1900)
- James Harkness - Scottish minister
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.