Harris Family History

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Harris Name Meaning

English and Welsh (very common in southern England and South Wales): patronymic from the medieval English personal name Harry, pet form of Henry. This name is also well established in Ireland, taken there principally during the Plantation of Ulster. In some cases, particularly in families coming from County Mayo, both Harris and Harrison can be Anglicized forms of Gaelic Ó hEarchadha. Greek: reduced form of the Greek personal name Kharalambos, composed of the elements khara ‘joy’ + lambein ‘to shine’. Jewish: Americanized form of any of various like-sounding Jewish names.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Harry, Farris, Sarris, Gabris, Parrish, Hargis, Harts, Martis, Ferris

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Harris Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Harris name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Harris. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    46%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    16%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    7%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Benin/Togo

    5%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Harris Family Origin

Where is the Harris family from?

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You can see how Harris families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Harris family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Harris families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 3,535 Harris families living in Ontario. This was about 49% of all the recorded Harris's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Harris families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Harris surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Harris

Harris Family Occupations

What did your Harris ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Harris occupation in Canada was Farmer. 28% of Harris's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Harris family was Servant. Farmer, Labourer and Student were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Harris.

View Census data for Harris | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    28%

  • Labourer

    4%

  • Student

    4%

  • Servant

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Harris ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Harris Historical Records

What Harris family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 3 million census records available for the last name Harris. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Harris census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Harris

Passenger List

There are 386,000 immigration records available for the last name Harris. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 565,000 military records available for the last name Harris. For the veterans among your Harris ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Harris military records

You've only scratched the surface of Harris family history.

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Harris Life Expectancy

What is the average Harris lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Harris life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Harris in 1940 was 40, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Harris

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Harris ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Harris Family Ancestors

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