Harrington surname meaning
An English habitational surname from places named Harrington, with independent Irish patronymic routes.
Confidence: Likely. The main story is well supported; some details of the deeper root are less certain.
The short story
Harrington is chiefly an English habitational surname from places called Harrington in Cumberland, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire. Their underlying Old English personal-name elements differ, followed by -ing- and tūn, “farmstead” or “estate,” so not every English Harrington came from the same locality. Irish Harrington can be an anglicized form of Ó hArrachtáin, “descendant of Arrachtán,” or in Kerry a form connected with Ó hUrdáil. Harington and Harrinton are record variants. Place is the catalog lead, with likely confidence preserving the independent Irish patronymic histories.
Also seen as: Harington, Harrinton, Ó hArrachtáin, Ó hUrdáil
- Ancestry, Dictionary of American Family Names entry 'Harrington' (English place-names and Irish patronymics)
- Wikipedia 'Harrington (surname)' (English and Irish surname routes)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)