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Harbour, the name has several spelling in the genealogical record: Harber, Harbor, Harbour, Arbor and Arbar. All may or may not be related. The old English meaning of the name is for the occupation of 'the harbourer', one who shelters or harbours people, one who provides lodging, in Olde French: hergerge, a lodging, a house. Without an actual record of how the name began, we may draw a conclusion that it is derived from those who may have been inn keepers or individual families that offered protection from foe and the elements for others. Many of the names relating to European heritage have begun because of an occupation, a trade, a place or an action. So the Harbour name seems to have been placed in usage for many persons not related by kinship but rather by some form of haven or respite given to others.
In the court of Hustings, London, between A.D. 1258 to A.D. 1682, there appears in A.D. 1319 the name Augustine le Herberer on the Calendar of Wills. In Buckinghamshire, England, the name Geoffry John Herbour appears in the Rotuli Hundredorum for the year A.D. 1279. In the Curia Regis Rolls the name Geoffrey le Arbrer is listed for Middlesex, England in 1205. In The History of St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, England, the name Richard le Erbrer appears in 1315. In A Dictionary of Surnames the definition of the Harbour name is given as: 'Harber: English: Metonymic occupational name for a keeper of a lodging house, from late Olde English, herebeorg shelter, lodging (from here army + beorg shelter)5. There is also a reference to a cognitive German form: Herberg (er), Herbrig, Herbrich6. The dictionary lists several variations of the name: Harbo(u)r, Arber, Harberer; Harbage, Herbage, Harbidge, Harbisher7.
The Harbour name is said to have dwellings for several hundred years in Herefordshire, England. One site on the Internet touts that the Harbour name is a Suffolk, England family tracing its Anglo Saxon origin to before the year A.D. 1100. But neither of these has been substantiated. There seems to be quite a number of Harbours throughout the English historical record.
In the United States it is known that Thomas Harbour came to the British Colonies in early 1700's. His date of birth is unknown but has been placed estimated at about 1675-1695. Most of the genealogical records in the United States claim that Thomas is from Wales. This in spite of the fact that Harbour is an English name. From his arrival in the New World there is ample record of his life and his genealogical descendants up to the present day. But, before the actual records of his life in Virginia, there are no record. We do know that in the early 1700's he married Sarah Witt in Charles City, Virginia. The Witt Family has a long and proud heritage that has been thoroughly research and is tightly woven with the Harbour name.
In the court of Hustings, London, between A.D. 1258 to A.D. 1682, there appears in A.D. 1319 the name Augustine le Herberer on the Calendar of Wills. In Buckinghamshire, England, the name Geoffry John Herbour appears in the Rotuli Hundredorum for the year A.D. 1279. In the Curia Regis Rolls the name Geoffrey le Arbrer is listed for Middlesex, England in 1205. In The History of St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, England, the name Richard le Erbrer appears in 1315. In A Dictionary of Surnames the definition of the Harbour name is given as: 'Harber: English: Metonymic occupational name for a keeper of a lodging house, from late Olde English, herebeorg shelter, lodging (from here army + beorg shelter)5. There is also a reference to a cognitive German form: Herberg (er), Herbrig, Herbrich6. The dictionary lists several variations of the name: Harbo(u)r, Arber, Harberer; Harbage, Herbage, Harbidge, Harbisher7.
The Harbour name is said to have dwellings for several hundred years in Herefordshire, England. One site on the Internet touts that the Harbour name is a Suffolk, England family tracing its Anglo Saxon origin to before the year A.D. 1100. But neither of these has been substantiated. There seems to be quite a number of Harbours throughout the English historical record.
In the United States it is known that Thomas Harbour came to the British Colonies in early 1700's. His date of birth is unknown but has been placed estimated at about 1675-1695. Most of the genealogical records in the United States claim that Thomas is from Wales. This in spite of the fact that Harbour is an English name. From his arrival in the New World there is ample record of his life and his genealogical descendants up to the present day. But, before the actual records of his life in Virginia, there are no record. We do know that in the early 1700's he married Sarah Witt in Charles City, Virginia. The Witt Family has a long and proud heritage that has been thoroughly research and is tightly woven with the Harbour name.