With so many parents putting last names first, it’s tempting to toss out your baby name book and pick up the White Pages instead. Granted, Tyler and Taylor are more expected – and easier to wear – than, say, Kowalski. But there’s a cluster of surnames that work particularly well as first names, precisely because they’re quite close to a conventional given name. Think Davis (David), Jackson (Jack) and Madison (Madeline).
To that last group, let’s add one more, today’s Name of the Day: Harris. Thanks to Another for the suggestion.
We’ve written about Henry before. Like a handful of appellations, this name boasts clear origins and a fairly unambiguous meaning. Since Harris is directly related to Henry, he’s not a man of much mystery. The story goes like this: the popular Germanic name Heimric, found in the historical record as early as the 10th century, derives from the elements heim and ric. Heim means home, not only in Old German, but in Old Norse, Frisian and several other tongues. And ric means ruler, an element that repeats in many given names and also shares roots with rex, or king. In German, the name became Heinrich. The Normans gave us Henri, brought it to England and made it one of the most popular given names – the Joshua of his day.
Today we recognize that Harry is a nickname for Henry; in fact, in medieval England, it was probably the favored pronunciation of Henry. (Just drop the “n” and you’ll hear how close they truly are.) And so Harris and Harrison mean simply “son of Henry” or “son of Harry.”
There were so many Henrys and Harrys, in fact, that Harris (and variant spellings Harries, Herries and Harriss) that it remains a Top 25 surname in the US and the UK today. Add in the Harrisons, and it’s a common choice, indeed.
Perhaps that’s why Harris regularly appeared in the US Top 1000 rankings from 1880 through 1968. Plenty of us have a Harris on our family tree. If bestowing a mother or grandmother’s maiden name appeals to you, this is one of those surnames that easily fits in the first spot. As for his fall from the charts? It wasn’t just Harris that disappeared from use in the 1970s – it was a decade unfavorable to trend.
But even as the 1990s and 2000s encouraged parents to choose surnames without a family link, Harris is not one that has experienced a revival. To many families, that’s a bonus – they get the fashionable sound of a surname choice, the diminutive Harry to use if so inclined and a familiar, but seldom heard moniker, too.
On the other hand, Harrison has always been more popular than Harris. Today he ranks #225, doubtless boosted by other ends-in-son choices like Jackson (#33), Carson (#90), Bryson (#179) and Grayson (#211).
Harrison, then, is the trendy choice, while Harris can remain a strong choice for someone honoring an ancestral bearer of the surname or even a Harry or a Henry.
The list of notable Harrises is a mile long – from actors (think Neil Patrick Harris, of Doogie Howser, MD and How I Met Your Mother fame) and athletes (think NFL hall-of-famer Franco Harris) to singers (how can we not mention Emmylou Harris?) and politicians (Elisha Harris was an early governor of Rhode Island and Civil War General Andrew Harris later served as governor of Ohio).
One last quirky reason that Harris might appeal to some – while we’re baffled by parents who choose Semaj as a means to honor a James, we can’t help but notice that Harris is pretty close to Sarah said backwards. With nearly 120,000 women named Sarah born in the 1970s, and more than 270,000 born in the 1980s, we wonder if some of them might embrace Harris as a subtle means to pass on part of their name. It’s not an option that works for everybody, but if you’re short of appealing family surnames, it might be an interesting way to arrive at a choice that has some authenticity.
Whether you’re pressing your maiden name into service, honoring a loved one or simply adopting the name because you like his style, we must say that Harris stands out as simple and distinctive, and a nice choice for a son.
appellationmountain says
July 23, 2008 at 3:54 PMHi Friend of a friend – welcome! Brennan *is* interesting on a girl, especially given the family link. And since there’s the Celtic Brenna and dated Brenda, it seems feminine, too.
And Katharine, your across-the-pond perspective is so valuable! I’d heard that Harry was white hot in the UK but had forgotten that little factoid – isn’t it interesting that Henry isn’t as common? Do you think it’s about the boy wizard, the young prince or just something in the air?
For me, Harry fails the “formal name over nickname” test – as in, if there is a full version available, it should be used. So I’d have to use Harris, Harrison or Henry – and since my husband dislikes surname names, that would leave Henry. Another, I hear you – Henry is big – way big. There’s not a Henry on our block at the moment, but there are plenty in our circle, along with little Charlies and Theos. So it wouldn’t make the cut for me, either, which is too bad, because I really quite like it.
I do know a little Harrison, twin brother of Georgia. It’s not a family name, just something they liked. But they live in Texas, so I suspect he’s among many boys with a last-name-first.
!!!DirtyHippy!!! says
July 22, 2008 at 3:03 PMI think Harris is a refreshing way to get to Harry. I don’t care much for the name on its own, but it’s much more wearable than clunky old Harrison or Harold and a bit more substantial than just using Harry as the given name.
I’m in the US, so Harry is still pretty uncommon and would be considered a bold choice for a baby. Harris seems like a less-shocking, more mainstream way to get to it.
Katharine says
July 21, 2008 at 6:14 PMNot being one for surname names I’m not remotely into Harris, that said as surname names go I concede it’s not a bad one.
On the other hand, I like Harry, although it is top 5 in the UK 🙁 I quite like Hal or even Hank for that matter, but these are just not nicknames that you ever come across in the UK and so would take quite a bit of getting used to.
Now Henry – I just love Henry! I guess that again this is down to geography but for me Henry isn’t trendy at all. (I hope no one minds me continually referring to where I’m from, but there are just so many cultural differences with names that fascinate me) Personally, I would place Henry alongside George, William, Charles, Edward and James as being one of those traditional Royal stalwarts. To put this into context, here is a sample of the Henry’s I know and their sibling sets:
James and Henry
William, Annabel and Henry (Just like the Princes!)
Edward, Isabel, Henry and Emily
You ge the picture!
Friend of a friend says
July 21, 2008 at 5:51 PMHere’s another last name made first for you: Brennan. We named our daughter Brennan after my husband’s grandmother’s maiden name. We had a tough time finding girl’s names we could agree upon and this was the only one we both liked! I’ve heard of a few other Brennans, but they are all boys. For some reason we thought it sounded nicer for a girl. I think for a boy it would be confused with Brandon or Brendon more often. I haven’t seen Brennan on your site yet, so I thought I’d share. By the way- this is an interesting and fun blog- thanks for creating it!
Unknown says
July 21, 2008 at 5:47 PMI like Harris! It’s a lovely name, and one I bestowed on the family dog growing up 🙂 Harris is definitely a really great name, masculine and strong but I’d think I’d prefer Harrison over Harris. I don’t know why but I feel Harrison sounds more mature than Harris, and Harrison seems to work better professionally than Harris. But, like Lola said, I’d be delighted to meet a little boy named Harris.
Lola says
July 21, 2008 at 5:24 PMIt can be done, family name or not, but for me, surnames must be family related or I will not use them, hence the thought pattern. As I said, there’s nothing wrong with Harris and I’ll even go one better, Another, I’d rather meet a little Harris over a little Jacob, Aiden or Daniel (I have an irrational hatred of Daniel). Harris is just not one for me, it’s fine for anyone else! 😀
Another says
July 21, 2008 at 4:15 PMTo me Hal is a nickname for Harold, no other name. I can’t see getting Hal from Henry. I understand your point though, Lola – we almost named our son Calvin, but hating Cal as a nickname, I couldn’t do it. I think Harris can be done even if it’s not a family name, though. Because it has the easily available nickname Harry, unlike some other surnames-as-first-names.
Lola says
July 21, 2008 at 2:54 PMAs far as surname names go, Harris is… tolerable. I’d rather bury them deep in the middle, myself. My problem with Harris is simple, I heartily dislike Harry. Hal is my Henry nickname of choice (yes, like the murderous computer and Flash [Hal Jordan]). And Harris to Hal is a bit too much of a stretch to make me comfortable.
I wouldn’t hiss at a Harris, though, I’d probably just breeze past him thinking “Must be a family name” and leave it at that. He’s perfectly innocuous. 🙂
Sparkle says
December 5, 2010 at 4:17 PMMy father’s middle name is Harris. I like it as a middle name if not 1st.
Another says
July 21, 2008 at 2:01 PMOoooh, I like it. It’s not unheard of, it’s not gloomy, it’s not overly Victorian. The only think I don’t love about it is its relation to Henry, one of those names I’ve recently heard a little too much in the trendy Brooklyn playground at my parents’ house. There are three little Henrys there – this part of the world is not awash in Jadyns, no it’s all Henry, Ophelia, and Marguerite, if you can believe that! Harris is simple, pleasing to the ear, and in my opinion, not pretentious at all!