Harrison (name)

This article is about the given name and surname, Harrison. For other uses, see Harrison (disambiguation).
Harrison
Pronunciation/ˈhærɪsən/ HARR-i-sən
Origin
Word/nameEnglish
Meaning"son of Harry"
Region of originEngland
Other names
Variant form(s)Harris

Harrison is a common patronymic surname of Northern English origin. It means "son of Harry" or "Herry", due to the Middle English pronunciation of the given name Henry.[1][2] It was first recorded in the 14th century.[2] It may also be spelt Harrisson, Harryson or Harrysson. Henrison also appears in historical records, but has fallen out of use.[2] Early records suggest that the surnames Harrison and Harris were used interchangeably by some families.

  1. ^ Patrick Hanks (2006). Dictionary of American Family Names. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. p. 135.
  2. ^ a b c Patrick Hanks; Richard Coates; Peter McClure (2013). Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. pp. 1206–1207.