The Harbison surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,215 people carried this name — #5,598 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 47,400 people counted. That is up 4% from 6,002 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Harbison surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Harberd’.

His entry covers Harbison, Harbeson, Harbin and Harbinson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 358 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 11 births for the Harbison name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 10
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

21 families named Harbison, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 128 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 9
South Carolina 8
North Carolina 4

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 244 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Harbison in American newspapers,
1911–1914.

Newspaper page from The Hattiesburg News carrying the name Harbison
The Hattiesburg News 1914-07-28
Newspaper page from The Wibaux Pioneer carrying the name Harbison
The Wibaux Pioneer 1911-04-14
Newspaper page from The Wibaux Pioneer carrying the name Harbison
The Wibaux Pioneer 1911-03-31

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 34,796 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Harbison in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

9,490 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Harbison. The most, 2,017, date from the 1930s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 3,446
South Australia 3,259
New South Wales 2,103
Queensland 410
Western Australia 140
Tasmania 120
ACT (Canberra) 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Harbison.

Who carried it

People named Harbison,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel P. Harbison d. 2019 · writer
  • Massa Harbison 1770–1837
  • Thomas Grant Harbison 1862–1936 · botanist
  • Thomas Harbison 1864–1930 · solicitor
  • Thomas Harbison 1864–1930 · solicitor
  • Winfred Audif Harbison 1904–1985 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Harbison,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States460 records

460 records of the Harbison name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 207
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 91
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 55
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 40
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 24
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 18
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Roy F. Harbison

    Born 1945; from Vancouver, Washington. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Alton T. Harbison

    Born 1923 in Alabama. Enlisted 1943 at Fort McClellan; farmer from Cullman County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Bethany Cemetery, Cullman, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie Harbison

    Arrived at New York in 1873 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 460 records for Harbison in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia130 records

130 records of the Harbison name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 85
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 39
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Robert Harbison

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Grenada, arriving 1821; ticket of leave 1827.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Harry D. Harbison

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Royal Charter, aged 19; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Vivienne Isobel Harbison

    Gentlewoman of Hawthorn, Victoria; died 1976.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 130 records for Harbison in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Harbison name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frances Merle Harbison

    Died 1991, aged 52; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alice Campbell Harbison

    Died 1924, aged 37; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Harbison

    Died 1916, aged 47; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Harbison in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Harbison name in Canada Canadian Virtual War Memorial
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record John James Harbison

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Harbison.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Harbison is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Harbison volume
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