Harpwood Family History

of uncertain origin; perhaps from Middle English harpe ‘harp place where the harp is played something shaped like a harp’ + wode ‘wood’ for someone who lived in or near a wood shaped like a harp in some way or from any place so named such as Harp Wood in East Dean (Gloucs).

However this cannot be certain as no medieval evidence for the surname has been found.

It may alternatively be an irregular variant of Orpwood; compare Katherina Orpwood 1544 in IGI (Sunningwell Berks) with the 1591 bearer below.