Show ContentsHarland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Harland

What does the name Harland mean?

The Harland name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Horlands, that can be traced to numerous places round England, including Harland Edge in Derbyshire and Harland Wood in Sussex. This surname was originally derived from the Old English words har and land, which means that the original bearers of the surname lived in the land that was infested with hares.

Early Origins of the Harland family

The surname Harland was first found in Middlesex where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Harland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harland research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1235, 1330, 1384, 1411, 1425, 1459, 1500 and 1664 are included under the topic Early Harland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harland Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Harland has undergone many spelling variations, including Harland, Hoarland, Hoareland, Hoorland, Hooreland, Horland, Horlands, Harlin, Harlind and many more.

Early Notables of the Harland family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Hugh Herland (1330-1411), a 14th-century medieval English carpenter, the chief carpenter to King Richard II, best known pieces is the hammer-beam roof at Westminster Hall, regarded as one of the greatest carpentry achievements of the time, worked for William of Wykeham at New College, Oxford (c. 1384), commissioned by royalty to work on...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Harland Ranking

In the United States, the name Harland is the 14,886th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Harland family to Ireland

Some of the Harland family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Harland migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Harland were among those contributors:

Harland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Harland who settled in Virginia in 1642
  • Georg Harland, who landed in Virginia in 1642 2
  • James Harland, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 2
Harland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Harland, who arrived in Virginia in 1721 2
  • Edward Harland, who arrived in New York in 1798 2
Harland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M Harland, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Harland migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Harland Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • William Harland, who arrived in Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia in 1774
  • William Harland, aged 23, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774
  • William Harland, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774

Harland migration to Australia +

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

Harland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Abraham Harland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Hyde" in 1849 3

Harland 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:

Harland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Jacob Harland, (b. 1857), aged 7, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Harland (post 1700) +

  • Henry Harland (1861-1905), American novelist and editor
  • James Penrose Harland (1891-1973), American archaeologist
  • L. Walters Harland, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Tokyo, 1926 5
  • Edward Harland, American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 8th District, 1870 5
  • John Harland (1806-1868), English reporter and antiquary, born at Hull in 1806 6
  • Maurice Harland (1896-1986), Anglican Bishop, Bishop of Durham (1956 to 1966)
  • Air Marshal Sir Reginald Edward Wynyard Harland KBE CB (1920-2013), senior Royal Air Force commander
  • Sir Edward James Harland (1831-1895), co-founder of the shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Albert Harland (1869-1957), British politician, Member of Parliament for Sheffield Ecclesall (1923-1929)
  • Richard Harland, accomplished Australian author
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Robert Francis Harland, British Lieutenant Commander (T), who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Albert Harland (b. 1915), English Marine from Blackpool, Lancashire, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 8
HMS Royal Oak
  • Thomas Harland, British Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 9
USS Indianapolis
  • George Alfred Harland, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 10


The Harland 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: Per juga per fluvius
Motto Translation: Through precipices and torrents.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM HYDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849WilliamHyde.htm
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  7. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  8. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  9. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  10. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew


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