Harpur Surname
Approximately 2,187 people bear this surname
Harpur Surname Definition:
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the harper,' one who made his living by playing at fair and festival; compare Fidler, Tabor, Crowther, Piper, &c. Sometimes these names represent an official position, being musical performers in the pay of royalty or the greater lords.
Read More About This SurnameHarpur Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 460 | 1:10,237 | 1,339 |
| England | 357 | 1:156,073 | 14,751 |
| New Zealand | 320 | 1:14,151 | 2,467 |
| Northern Ireland | 291 | 1:6,340 | 1,146 |
| Canada | 192 | 1:191,904 | 18,895 |
| Australia | 176 | 1:153,385 | 16,171 |
| South Africa | 174 | 1:311,366 | 29,669 |
| United States | 136 | 1:2,665,139 | 160,299 |
| France | 25 | 1:2,656,909 | 193,074 |
| Wales | 14 | 1:221,038 | 13,576 |
| Scotland | 13 | 1:411,832 | 17,291 |
| Zimbabwe | 9 | 1:1,715,360 | 84,476 |
| Estonia | 8 | 1:165,226 | 26,217 |
| Switzerland | 4 | 1:2,053,229 | 97,179 |
| Sweden | 3 | 1:3,282,252 | 190,759 |
| Portugal | 1 | 1:10,418,241 | 25,048 |
| Spain | 1 | 1:46,752,036 | 156,870 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 1:9,162,273 | 135,437 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1:16,887,176 | 156,465 |
| Brazil | 1 | 1:214,074,332 | 1,693,628 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 472 | 1:9,385 | 1,381 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 200 | 1:121,877 | 11,575 |
| Wales | 25 | 1:62,737 | 3,061 |
| Scotland | 13 | 1:287,940 | 9,345 |
| Isle of Man | 2 | 1:27,135 | 1,659 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 51 | 1:984,680 | 58,342 |
Harpur (20) may also be a first name.
Harpur Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the harper,' one who made his living by playing at fair and festival; compare Fidler, Tabor, Crowther, Piper, &c. Sometimes these names represent an official position, being musical performers in the pay of royalty or the greater lords. 'Harpowre, citharista': Prompt Parv.
Henry le Harpur, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.
Ralph le Harpur, Oxfordshire, ibid.
Nicholas le Harpur, Cambridgeshire, ibid.
Adam le Harper, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.
Thomas le Harpour, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.
Isabella Herpour, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.
Willelmus Harper, 1379: ibid.
Rogerus Harper, 1379: ibid.
1748. Married — Sir Lister Holte and Mary Harpur: St. George, Hanover Square.
From the office of "harper." in early times the harper was a hereditary official in the households of many great families, and the Brehon laws rank the harp as "the one art of music which deserves nobility" (Brehon laws V, p. 107). In some districts lands were attached to the office as shown by the place names Croit a' Chlarsair, "the Harper's Croft," in the parish of Kiltarlity, near Dundonald, Ayrshire, and elsewhere, and the lands of Harperfield in the parish of Lesmahagow are probably of the same origin. "The last hereditary harper appears to have been Murdoch Macdonald, harper to Maclean of Coll, who died at an advanced age in 1739" (Clan Donald, III, p. 126). Several individuals named Harper appear in the Ragman Roll as having rendered homage in 1296: (1) William le Harpur of La Lawe, of the county of Edinburgh His seal bears a shield charged with a harp, S' Walraun le Harpevr (Bain, II, p. 201,547). (2) Uctins le Harpur of the county of Lanerk, a tenant of Will am of Moravia. His seal carries a crosspatee and the legend S'Oting le Harp'e (ibid., II, p. 208,553). In the same year a writ was issued to the sheriff of Lanark to restore his lands to Ughtred le Harpur (ibid., p. 225). (3) Robert le Harper of the county of Are, (4) Johan le Harpur of the county of Berewyk, and (5) Rogier le Harpur of Hom', also of the county of Berewyk, ere the others named in the record. In 1297 a messuage in Berwick-on-Tweed and a particate of land in the Fyskergate was granted to Ughtred le Harpur and his heirs (ibid., 915). Walter Harper was a tenant of the Douglases in the barony of Buittle in 1376 (RHM., I, p. lix), and Pate Harper, clarsha (G. clarsair) had a payment of xiiijs. In 1507 (ALHT., III, p. 392). As this name is fairly common in the Stewartry it is probably a translation of Macchruiter, which see, which in Gaelic has the meaning of "son of the harper.".
(English) Harp-Player [Old English h(e)arpere] Hugh le Harper.—Parl. Writs.
Ralph le Harpur.—Hundred Rolls
A performer on the harp.
The family is traced to Chesterton, co. Warwick, temp. Henry I. and H. Shirley's Noble and Gentle Men, p. 47. The name is synonymous with Harper, since it occurs indifferently in H.R. as Le Harpur and Le Harpere.
Harpur Demographics
Harpur Political Affiliation
in United States
United States
Average
Harpur Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Harpur Come From? nationality or country of origin
Harpur is more commonly found in Ireland than any other country or territory. It can be found as:. Click here for further potential spellings of this surname.
How Common Is The Last Name Harpur? popularity and diffusion
The surname is the 192,523rd most widely held last name on earth It is held by approximately 1 in 3,332,211 people. Harpur is primarily found in Europe, where 54 percent of Harpur are found; 52 percent are found in Northern Europe and 52 percent are found in British Isles. Harpur is also the 2,446,817th most widespread first name world-wide. It is borne by 20 people.
This surname is most frequently used in Ireland, where it is held by 460 people, or 1 in 10,237. In Ireland Harpur is mostly found in: Leinster, where 85 percent live, Ulster, where 64 percent live and Munster, where 14 percent live. Without taking into account Ireland this surname exists in 19 countries. It also occurs in England, where 16 percent live and New Zealand, where 15 percent live.
Harpur Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The prevalency of Harpur has changed over time. In Ireland the number of people who held the Harpur surname fell 3 percent between 1901 and 2014; in England it grew 179 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it grew 267 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Wales it fell 44 percent between 1881 and 2014.
Harpur Last Name Statistics demography
The religious devotion of those carrying the Harpur last name is primarily Catholic (42%) in Ireland.
In The United States those bearing the Harpur surname are 10.92% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 57.69% registered to vote for the political party.
The amount Harpur earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 186.31% more than the national average, earning R 680,376 per year; in United States they earn 9.37% more than the national average, earning $47,191 USD per year and in Canada they earn 16.57% more than the national average, earning $57,913 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
| Surname | Similarity | Worldwide Incidence | Prevalency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harpour | 92 | 14 | / |
| Kharpur | 92 | 10 | / |
| Harpure | 92 | 4 | / |
| Hairpur | 92 | 2 | / |
| Harpeur | 92 | 1 | / |
| Harphur | 92 | 0 | / |
| Arpur | 91 | 6 | / |
| Khairpur | 86 | 1,943 | / |
| Kharpure | 86 | 25 | / |
| Aharpour | 86 | 21 | / |
| Jaharpur | 86 | 5 | / |
| Hasrpour | 86 | 1 | / |
| Harbpour | 86 | 1 | / |
| Hairpour | 86 | 1 | / |
| Harphaur | 86 | 0 | / |
| Arpour | 83 | 14 | / |
| Harpor | 83 | 13 | / |
| Arpurt | 83 | 4 | / |
| Garpur | 83 | 2 | / |
| Arphur | 83 | 1 | / |
| Jahairpur | 80 | 34 | / |
| Khairpour | 80 | 11 | / |
| Jaharpour | 80 | 1 | / |
| Haharpour | 80 | 1 | / |
| Asrpour | 77 | 66 | / |
| Arzpour | 77 | 16 | / |
| Arbpour | 77 | 1 | / |
| Arpurth | 77 | 1 | / |
| Harpoer | 77 | 1 | / |
| Chaharpour | 75 | 1 | / |
| Arpor | 73 | 2 | / |
| Herbpour | 71 | 1 | / |
| Khourpur | 71 | 1 | / |
| Kheirpur | 71 | 1 | / |
| Orpurt | 67 | 101 | / |
| Jorpur | 67 | 33 | / |
| Khoorpour | 67 | 32 | / |
| Orpour | 67 | 7 | / |
| Khayrpoor | 67 | 1 | / |
| Gorpur | 67 | 1 | / |
| Horpor | 67 | 1 | / |
| Orpurd | 67 | 0 | / |
| Jorpour | 62 | 2,481 | / |
| Eerpour | 62 | 1 | / |
| Jourpur | 62 | 1 | / |
| Gorpaur | 62 | 1 | / |
| Jourpour | 57 | 161 | / |
| Orpor | 55 | 2 | / |
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Harpur Reference & Research
Harper FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.
Harper FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Harpur
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis