HARRIS Surname DNA Project

The HARRIS Surname DNA Project, one of the larger DNA surname projects with over 200 participants, was created as a cooperative organization to develop a collection of Harris family groups who descend from various male Harris ancestors in order to compare Y-DNA and hopefully discover familial and non-familial relationships. With the first kit being submitted in 2001, the project was created in 2003 after several other DNA kits had been submitted for comparison. Some variant spellings of Harris which are part of the project include: Harries, Herries, Harriss, Harrys, Herrys, Harras, etc. In most instances the Harris surname is English and Welsh in origin. It is very common in southern England and South Wales as a patronymic from the medieval English personal name Harry (pet form of Henry), meaning "son of Harry." But other Harris families seem to have originated in Germany, France, and other countries.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all living organisms. In recent years, genealogists and testing companies have been using DNA to discover and prove or disprove ancestry, mostly in the male lines, but also in female lines using Y-DNA testing and mtDNA testing, etc. The official testing company for the Harris DNA Study is Family Tree DNA. The Harris Surname DNA Project administrators are genealogists who serve in a volunteer capacity and receive no financial or other compensation. They help maintain the project pages and results as well as answer general questions.

According to mongabay.com, the HARRIS surname (not including variant spellings) ranks as the 15th most common surname in the U.S. as surveyed in the 1990 Census (behind Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown, Davis, Miller, Wilson, Moore, Taylor, Anderson, Thomas, Jackson, and White).

A survey of the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) (1991-2000) in the United Kingdom ranks the HARRIS surname as the 22nd most common surname in England, Wales and the Isle of Man (behind Smith, Jones, Williams, Taylor, Brown, Davies, Evans, Wilson, Thomas, Johnson, Roberts, Robinson, Thompson, Wright, Walker, White, Edwards, Hughes, Green, Hall, and Lewis). A similar study updated through 2002 and charted by Technoleg Taliesin Cyf came up with the same results.

Various surname profilers such as Hamrick Software's U.S. Surname Distribution and the Surname Profiler Project Website started by the University College London are also able to show the distribution of the Harris surname by localities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia at various time periods.

Probable origins for the Harris family of Essex
One branch of Harrises (the family residing in Essex, England in the 1500s) claims to derive their surname from the French term “Le Herisse.” Previously, as early as 1000 A.D., this family had been nicknamed Crispin, (Latin) meaning “sticking-up hair.”  The French translation of Crispin is “Le Herisse.”  A paternal ancestor, Crispin de Bec, son of Guillaume de Bec (918-1000) was bestowed the nickname of “Crispin,” meaning “curly-headed.” This Crispin de Bec’s son, Guy “Le Herisse” de Bailleul, was perhaps the first to assume the French translation of the name. This Crispin family reportedly descends from a brother of Rolf Ganger “Rollo” named Hrollaug Rognvaldsson (aka Hugh Barbatus), both sons of Rognvald “The Wise” Eysteinsson. Among numerous branches, some related families migrated to the British Isles and were known as “de Heriz” and “Heris” during the 11th & 13th centuries in Nottingham and Derby. The family was also anciently known as “Herries” in Wales and Scotland.

The ancient Le Herisse ancestor, Guy de Bailleul, is recorded as holding Harcourt in France. Crispin, Le Herisse, and de Harcourt were used interchangeably at various periods of time. One of Guy’s descendants, Ivo de Harcourt, who is often confused with a different Ivo de Harcourt of another family, began using the name of Heris in Nottingham during the 12th century. This appears to be the English ancestor of the Y-DNA I1a haplotype Harris families.

Other branches of this group of Harrises took various surnames during the period of surname formation in the 11th through 13th centuries. From various DNA studies of related patrilineal families tracing back to these same medieval ancestors, it appears that some branches of the following families also trace back to a common ancestor with this Harris family: de Bailleul, Crispin, de Clare, de Montfort, Marshal, Beaumont, Mauvoisine (de Hercy), Rosny, de Colleville, de Ifferley, Stanhope, Douglas, and Harcourt among others.

This group of Harrises which settled in Essex, England, has a corresponding Yahoo! Group for genealogy discussion called Harrisline.

Other Harris DNA projects
The Harris-2 DNA Study is also being conducted by Family Tree DNA. It is centered around a separate group of Harrises whose members were tested to find out how much Native American blood was in them.

There is also a Harris-Calvert DNA Study being conducted by Family Tree DNA which revolves around a group of Harrises that descend from family members whose name may have originally been CALVERT, as some of the names in early records are shown as “Calvert alias Harris,” “Calvert alias Harrison,” “Harris alias Calvert,” and “Harrison alias Calvert.” This seems to indicate that at least one family member of this group had more than one set of parents. This family group appears to descend from three brothers—Thomas, George, and Burr Calvert, sons of John Calvert (ca. 1692-1731) of early Virginia. Their mother is reported to be Jane HARRISON. With DNA testing, and if a strong match can be found with a HARRIS, HARRISON, or CALVERT, it is possible that any questions of paternal origin may be solved.

Additional information on this group can be found at the Calvert DNA Group Study website. Another place to look for information on this Harris/Harrison-Calvert connection is the HARRISON DNA Project website.

The Calvert Surname has a corresponding Yahoo! Group for genealogy discussion.

Y chromosome (Y-DNA) testing
DNA - acronymn for deoxyribonucleic acid - is the chemical inside the nucleus of all cells that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms. SNP - (pronounced SNIP) - is an acronym for single nucleotide polymorphism. A SNP test confirms your haplogroup by determining if a SNP has mutated from its derived or ancestral state. DNA analysis of the Y chromosome, carried exclusively by males, provides a tool for identifying participants who share a common male ancestor. When used in conjunction with documented Harris pedigrees, these tests can also aid in establishing links between Harris groups which previously were thought to be unrelated. They also can be used to disprove connections based on tradition and proximity of individuals, when in actuality the individuals or families are not related.

Of interest is that one branch of Harrises in the U.S. used the name of Harris/Harrison Alias Calvert and Calvert Alias Harris/Harrison in the 1700s in Virginia. In later generations the name has been shortened to Harris. It is possible this branch of Harrises are actually Calverts.

Another similar family is the Tyner family from the late-1600s and early-1700s in Virginia. Descendants now carry the surname of Tyner, however they descend from a John Harris with a mistress, Sarah Tyner. DNA testing confirms that this Tyner family descends from the Harris family through the male line.

Because many Harris surname researchers have exhausted traditional genealogy research methods without identifying their elusive Harris ancestor, this project combines genetics and genealogy in an effort to break through the proverbial "brick wall."

Y-DNA test results
A Harris Y-DNA Results chart showing brief lineages and SNPs or DNA marker values for various kits submitted to the Harris Surname DNA Project is divided up into groups of DNA donor kits which appear to be related. Each grouping shows a modal value with the kits in each group matching closely with the modal (or proposed DNA values for a possible common ancestor). Other kits are still unmatched. On the chart, haplogroups in green have been confirmed by SNP testing. Haplogroups in red have been predicted by Family Tree DNA based on unambiguous results in the individual's personal page. SNPs are changes to a single nucleotide in a DNA sequence. SNPs or DNA markers are named with a letter code and a number. DNA markers shown in red are known to mutate faster than other markers.

Another view of the Harris DNA project results is found at Family Tree DNA’s website. This link also allows you to view the mtDNA results submitted on direct female lines.

A HARRIS-DNA mailing list is sponsored by RootsWeb®. A few of the kit groupings have corresponding Yahoo! Groups for discussion of topics related to that particular Harris DNA group or its reported ancestor(s).