Which Harrington are You?
Which Harrington are you?
Which Harrington are you?
Origins of Harrington Surname
The surname Harrington has multiple origins and was originally an English surname, probably from Cumbria.
In Ireland, at a time when it was safer to be known by an English sounding surname than an Irish sounding surname, three very separate Irish surnames/clan names were anglicised into the English sounding Harrington and thus not all Harringtons, even in Ireland, are related to each other within genealogical time.
O hOireachtaigh
In Connacht the O hOireachtaigh clan anglicised their name to Harrington and can be found in Galway, Donegal and Mayo.
Ó hOIREACHTAIGH-I-O Heraghty, O Heyrity, O Heraght, Hearaghty, Heraghty, Heraty, (Harty), Erraught, Erought, (Geraghty, Harrington, O'Connor); 'descendant of Oireachtach' (holding or frequenting assemblies); the name of several distinct families, formerly located in Galway, Westmeath and Donegal; now most frequent in Donegal and Mayo; often disguised under the anglicised forms of Harty, Geraghty, Harrington, and even O'Connor.
Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames 1923
O hArrachtain
In the Tralee-Dingle area the O hArrachtain clan also anglicised their name to Harrington.
Ó hARRACHTÁIN-1-0 Haraghtane, O Harreghtane, O Harrighton, O Herraghton, Harroughton, Haroughton, (Harrington, Errington, Irrington), &c.; 'descendant of Arrachtán' (diminutive of arrachta, tall, mighty, brave, heroic); the name of a family of Ui Maine in Co. Galway. In the 16th century, it was scattered through all North Munster. To be distinguished from Ó hIongardail and Ó hOireachtaigh, which are also anglicised Harrington.
Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames 1923
O'hLongardail
In Cork, the O'hlongardail clan anglicised to Harrington as well as other variations such as OHingerdell, Urdail.
Later, Edward MacLysaght in his book The Surnames of Ireland (1989), in his entry for the surname HINGERTY, modified Woulfe's entry slightly:
(o) Hingerty is one of the anglicised forms of ohIongardail which has for the most part become Harrington.
The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and IrelandEd Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, Peter McClureOxford University Press 2016Page 1206
Which Harrington are you?
How can you find out?
Do you know your early ancestry?
Did your ancestors come from:
- the Cumbria area of England?
- the Connacht (Galway, Donegal, Mayo) area of Ireland?
- the Tralee/Dingle area of Ireland?
- Cork or Tipperary?
Your ancestors' place of origin will identify which Harrington group you belong to.
if you do not know your ancestors' place of origin.....
If you are a Harrington male and have taken a DNA test at Ancestry, 23&Me, My Heritage, or Living DNA
- you can download (take a copy) of your Raw DNA data and upload it (free) at FTDNA (for instructions and information on downloading and uploading raw DNA files LINK),
- pay the $19 one off unlock fee to access a range of tools and receive a YDNA haplogroup,
- join the Harrington Project (free) at FTDNA- the Project Admins will assist you to identify your surname origins.
To gain the maximum amount of DNA information on your Harington origins....have a direct Harrington male relative take a YDNA test at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) LINK.
Then join the Harrington Project at FTDNA LINK.
The Admins of the Project can assist you to identify your Harrington origins.
If you would like assistance to identify your Harrington origins or
have information about Irish Harrington origins-
hingerty@one-name.org
I would be happy to hear from you.
For a general overview of the history of clans in Ireland presented by "Clans of Ireland" see the following video LINK
Note the reference in the dictionary entry to "Henry Harington" in the 1578 Fiant 3266 which seems to indicate that this Henry Harrington is of Irish ancestry.
A closer look at the Fiants around that time reveals six entries for Sir Henry Harrington, Knight between 1577 and 1586:
1577 Fiant 3030 Henry can seize illegally exported goods on behalf of the Crown
1578 Fiant 3362 (as quoted in Dictionary entry) Henry is allocated lands in Ireland and England
1578 Fiant 3490 he can "take inquisitions... for concealed lands of monasteries and attained persons."
1579 Fiant 3612 Henry is granted lands previously belonging to an Irish landholder
1584 Henry requests pardons for other people
1586 Fiant 4917 he is able to levy taxes
1587/8 Sir Henry is to "take the muster of the array of the inhabitants of the County of Dublin".
All of these entries would seem to indicate, by virtue of his location in Dublin (i.e within 'the Pale'- the area controlled by the Crown), allocation of lands in England and Ireland and the tasks he is assigned that Sir Henry Harrington, Knight is an English Harrington living in Ireland at the time, and not an Irish Harrington.
For a more complete listing of related Cork and Kerry references to related surnames (Irish) in the Fiants see the following blog post Link
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