Contents [hide]

Hargrave History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

Hargrave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hargrave

What does the name Hargrave mean?

The history of the Hargrave family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Hargrave, a place-name found in the counties of Cheshire, Northamptonshire, and Suffolk. There is also a Hargrave Hall in Cheshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English elements har, which meant "hare" or "on the border," and graf or græfe, which meant "grove." The place-name as a whole meant "grove filled with rabbits" or "grove on a border." 1

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from a Saxon occupation, as "the provider or commissary of an army, from Here or Har, an army, and grave, a steward or disposer." 2

"Hargreaves is an old Lancashire name. It is also common in the West Riding, particularly in the Leeds district. There are two Cheshire hamlets called Hargrave." 3

Early Origins of the Hargrave family

The surname Hargrave was first found in Cheshire at Hargrave, which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Haregrave. The Domesday Book also lists Haragrauna in Suffolk and Haregrave in Northamptonshire. 4

The first record of the family was Geoffrey de Haregrave who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1188. 5 A few years later, in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, John de Haregrave was listed as holding lands in Buckinghamshire at that time.

Later again, in East Cheshire in 1296, two records were found: William de Haregreve; and Richard de Haregreve. "The Hargreaves of Lancashire probably spring from Hargrave, Cheshire." 6

The Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire listed Henry de Hargreve in 1332. 5 This latter source notes that Hargreave Hall was located in Cheshire, but we can find no record of it today.

Early History of the Hargrave family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hargrave research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1286, 1332, 1486, 1499, 1529, 1541, 1690, 1739 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Hargrave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hargrave Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hargrave include Hargrove, Hargreave, Hargreaves, Hargrave, Hargroves and many more.

Early Notables of the Hargrave family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Hargrave (c. 1499-1541), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Stamford in 1529

Hargrave Ranking

In the United States, the name Hargrave is the 4,725^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 7

Hargrave migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hargrave or a variant listed above:

Hargrave Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Hargrave, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 8
Christopher Hargrave, who landed in Virginia in 1635 8
Alice Hargrave purchased land in Virginia in 1646
Barbara Hargrave, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 8
Peter Hargrave, who settled in Virginia in 1654
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hargrave Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elisha, George, James, John, Joseph, Robert and Thomas Hargrave, who settled in Philadelphia in the 1800's
David Hargrave, aged 23, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1814 8
John Hargrave, who landed in New York in 1834 8

Hargrave migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hargrave Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Hargrave, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life , transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Jonathan Hargrave, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. Michael Hargrave, (b. 1823), aged 21, Irish sweep who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. William Hargrave, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 12
Francis Hargrave, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Boyne" in 1850 13

Hargrave migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hargrave Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Fredrick Hargrave, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Hargrave (post 1700) +

Francis Hargrave (1741-1821), English lawyer and abolitionist who appeared on behalf of James Somersett in the case which determined the legal status of slaves in England in 1772 14
Paul Hargrave (1938-2025), American biochemist whose laboratory work established key features of the structure of rhodopsin
David Allen Hargrave (1946-1988), nicknamed The Dream Weaver, and American controversial game designer and writer of fantasy and science fiction
William McKinley "Pinky" Hargrave (1896-1942), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1923 to 1933, younger brother of Bubbles Hargrave
Eugene Franklin "Bubbles" Hargrave (1892-1969), American Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1913 to 1930, older brother of Pinky Hargrave
Bob Hargrave (b. 1920), American football player for the University of Notre Dame, inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame on November 30, 1979
Rudolph Hargrave (1923-2014), American jurist, Member of the Oklahoma Supreme Court (1978-2010), Chief Justice (1989-1990, 2001-2002)
John Gordon Hargrave (1894-1982), (woodcraft name 'White Fox'), English leading figure in Scouting from Midhurst, Sussex
John Fletcher Hargrave (1815-1885), English-born, Australian politician and jurist from Greenwich, England, Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales (1859-1865), Judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales (1865-1881)
Lieutenant General William Hargrave (d. 1751), British Army officer and Governor of Gibraltar (1740-1749); he is buried in Westminster Abbey
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Hargrave Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vincit amor patria
Motto Translation: My beloved country will conquer.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque BOYNE 1850, 521 tons. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Boyne.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020