Harris
Usually a patronymic surname meaning “son of Harry” or “son of Henry.”
The #25 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 495 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harris is an English surname that developed from the personal name Harry, a medieval pet form of Henry. In this sense it means “Harry’s son,” with Harry ultimately going back through French forms to the Germanic name Henry, built from elements meaning roughly “home” and “ruler.” Older writers sometimes discussed it as a descendant of Henry through Harry rather than as a directly formed surname.
History
Harris became common in England and later spread widely through Britain and the English-speaking world. It is especially frequent in the United States, where it has long been one of the more common surnames. Some historical writers also noted occasional confusion with more elaborate forms like Fitz-Harris, but the plain surname Harris is simply the familiar patronymic.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower explicitly described Harris as a “Saxon” surname equivalent to Harry’s son, showing how strongly 19th-century scholars liked to explain surnames through familiar given names.
From the historical record
“coln and Northampton. HARRIS. From Henry, through Harry, and thence Harrison. "It is in recent times only, that a Saxon Harris, equivalent to Harry's son, has been converted into the etymological mongrel of Fltz-Harris, which is almost as startling as Fitz-Harrison or Fitz-Thompson would be." Edinb. Rev., April…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom