Advertisement

Harris

surname, attested from c. 1400 (Harrys), from "Harry," the popular pronunciation of Henry. As a type of tweed (1892), it is from the name of the southern section of the island of Lewis with Harris in the Outer Hebrides; originally it referred to fabric produced by the inhabitants there, later a proprietary name. That place name represents Gaelic na-h-earaidh "that which is higher," in comparison to the lower Lewis. Harrisburg, capital of Pennsylvania, is named for ferryman John Harris (1727-1791), son of the original European settler.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of Harris from WordNet

Harris (n.)
United States author who wrote the stories about Uncle Remus (1848-1908);
Synonyms: Joel Harris / Joel Chandler Harris
Harris (n.)
United States linguist (born in Ukraine) who developed mathematical linguistics and interpreted speech and writing in a social context (1909-1992);
Synonyms: Zellig Harris / Zellig Sabbatai Harris
Harris (n.)
United States diplomat who was instrumental in opening Japan to foreign trade (1804-1878);
Synonyms: Townsend Harris
Harris (n.)
Irish writer noted for his sexually explicit but unreliable autobiography (1856-1931);
Synonyms: Frank Harris / James Thomas Harris
Harris (n.)
British marshal of the Royal Air Force; during World War II he directed mass bombing raids against German cities that resulted in heavy civilian casualties (1892-1984);
Synonyms: Bomber Harris / Sir Arthur Travers Harris
Harris (n.)
publisher of the first newspaper printed in America (1673-1713);
Synonyms: Benjamin Harris
From wordnet.princeton.edu