Harrison Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Harrison Family History

Harrison Family History

The family history of the ancient name Harrison was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Harrison is a baptismal name meaning 'son of Harry'. Variants include Harris, Harries, Harisson and Harrison. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout these countries. Examples of such are a Reginald Herryerson who was recorded in the ancient book 'The History of Norfolk' in the fourteenth century. A Laurence Harryson who was a native of Scotland had letters of denization in England in the year 1497.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

Harrison is also sometimes used as a variant of the names Harrihy, Henry, Herrity and Horohoe.The Harrison family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Harrison descendants.