Harkness Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Harkness last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Harkness coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Harkness last name
Meaning of the Harkness last name: from Harkness. Harkness is a Scottish surname of uncertain origin, long associated with Annandale and Nithsdale in Dumfriesshire. Emigrants took it to America, where Edward Harkness gave Harvard and Yale their residential colleges, and the Harkness Fellowships still bring British students to the United States under this last name.
Arms associated with the Harkness name
Coats of arms associated with the Harkness surname follow Scottish heraldry, where each blazon belongs to one bearer.
Get your full Harkness family history
This is only a glimpse of the Harkness story. The full Harkness history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Harkness coat of arms. Get the full Harkness report.
Harkness name FAQ
What does the Harkness name mean?
From Harkness. Common variants include Harkiss.
Where does the Harkness surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Harkness coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Harkness coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).