HARRISS
Harriss is an English surname of Germanic origin. Its roots lie in the personal name Henry, which is derived from the Germanic Heinrich meaning “home ruler” or “ruler of the household.” The name was popularised in England after the Norman conquest of 1066 when the Latinised form Henricus appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. The popular Norman given name evolved into the pet form Harry, from which the patronymic surname Harriss was constructed, indicating “son of Harry.”
The surname first appears in the latter half of the thirteenth century. In 1273 John Hanry is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire. Subsequent early references include Nicholas Herri in the 1327 Worcestershire Subsidy Rolls and William Herry, a witness in the 1337 Court Rolls of Colchester. During the Middle Ages the name acquired many variant spellings such as Harris, Harries, Harries, Harrhy and Harriss. A coat of arms was granted to several Harris families in Cornwall, Devonshire and Hertfordshire; the blazon describes a black shield with three crescents and a silver bordure, crowned by a gold falcon rising upon a raguly stump, set against a green fesse.
In the modern era the surname is most frequently found in southern and central England; Worcestershire, Powys, Cornwall, Devon and Hertfordshire contain notable concentrations. In the United States the name, in its various spellings, is particularly common in the southeastern states of Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina, a distribution shaped by migration patterns over the centuries. While the surname is principally of Anglo‑Saxon and Norman heritage, it also occurs within Jewish communities where it is sometimes derived from the biblical name Harris meaning “God beheld.”
Throughout history, Harriss has remained a patronymic surname, its meaning tied to the personal name that was widely used by Norman barons and later by the general population. The name’s endurance reflects both its linguistic roots and the social practices of medieval England, where surnames served to identify individuals by paternal lineage or occupation. Its persistence into contemporary times, across Britain and the United States, underscores the lasting legacy of a name that once signified the ruler of a household.
Typical given names associated with the Harriss surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Duncan
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Steven
Female
- Ann
- Anne
- Catherine
- Christine
- Joanne
- Lisa
- Louise
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Penelope
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Haris
- Harish
- Harice
- Haries
- Hariis
- Hairis
- Haaris
- Harris
- Harisis
- Hariss
- Harri
- Harrias
- Harrice
- Harricks
- Harries
- Harrig
- Harrise
- Harriso
- Harrisow
- Harrisson
- Harrist
- Harrris
- Harrys
- Hearris
- Herries
- Herris
- Hirris
- Horise
- Horris
- Horriss
- Hurris
- Harisha
- Harissa
- Harisson
- Hariz
- Harizi
- Harkis
- Harrass
- Harres
- Harress
- Harrick
- Harrie
- Harrige
- Harrisen
- Harrisin
- Harrison
- Harrisons
- Harross
- Harrs
- Heris
- Horis
- Horisk
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Harriss in...
Braille
⠓⠁⠗⠗⠊⠎⠎
Morse
.....-.-..-.........
Semaphore
There are approximately 975 people named Harriss in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,519th most common surname in Britain. Around 15 in a million people in Britain are named Harriss.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Harriss
- G. L. Harriss - Historian (1925 to 2014)
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.