Harville
A rare surname most likely from a place-name or a family line tied to a “harrow” or wooded hill area.
The #7,958 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,271 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harville is most likely an English locational surname, formed from a place-name rather than from a personal description. The first element may relate to Old English words for a boundary, heap, or rough ground, while the second element looks like the common place-name ending from Old French -ville, meaning “settlement” or “estate.” In some cases, surnames of this shape can also reflect later spelling changes from similar names rather than a single fixed origin.
History
The surname is uncommon in the United States and appears to have been carried there through English-speaking migration. Because Harville can arise from more than one place-name pattern, the family name may not share a single origin for every bearer. Spellings like Harvill and Harwell have sometimes overlapped in historical records, so early documentation can be inconsistent.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The -ville ending in surnames and place-names often signals Norman French influence, even when the rest of the name is older English.