where did the last name harris come from
Harris (name) Harris is a (patronymic or paternal) family name of British origins, and has many different spellings, none of which are definitive or 'correct'. These spellings are largely regional which, when combined with the fact that the spelling of modern English would only standardise in the 17th through 19th centuries, has led to different branches of the same families having different spellings of the name. Harris is the 23rd most common surname in England and 21st most common surname in the United States.[1]
Howard (surname) Howard is a common English language surname. Its origins are uncertain. One theory is that it derived from the French personal name Huard and Houard (compare the Anglo-Norman spellings of coward for French couard; tower for tour) adapting after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Another theory is that its origin may be pre 7th century Germanic from the personal name Hughard (prefix hug, meaning "heart"/"spirit"; suffix hard, meaning "hardy"/"brave"). Yet another theory is that the surname derived from the Anglo-Scandinavian personal name Haward (Old Norse Hávarðr, Old Danish Hawarth, element Há(r) "high" or hǫð "battle"; element varðr, meaning "guardian").[1] The first public record of the surname is dated 1221 in Cambridgeshire. There are several variant surname spellings.[2]