BabyNameScoreName profile
Harrison
masculine
This reflects the first name on its own. The full-name report scores the complete combination separately.
Check it with a full name ↓English surname origin. Harrison began as a patronymic surname of Northern English origin, first recorded in the 14th century, meaning 'son of Harry/Herry' -- Harry being the medieval English colloquial short form of Henry. It was adopted as a given name starting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, part of a broader English-language trend of turning family surnames into first names.
Why it works
- English speakers will almost certainly pronounce it correctly on the first try
Popularity
Familiar — #116 in the latest U.S. ranking.
Meaning and origin
Harrison means "Son of Harry" (i.e., son of Henry) -- a patronymic surname meaning, not a direct-root first-name meaning. Because Harry/Henry is understood to mean "home ruler," popular sources gloss Harrison loosely as "son of the home ruler," but the name's direct, documented meaning is the patronymic "Harry's son.".
As a surname, Harrison was well established in England by the 14th century and traveled to America with early colonists, becoming attached to two separate presidential lineages. As a given name it belongs to the 'surname name' category alongside Jackson, Emerson, and Anderson, a category especially popular for boys in the US, UK, and Australia from the 1980s onward.
Documented origin: English surname origin. Harrison began as a patronymic surname of Northern English origin, first recorded in the 14th century, meaning 'son of Harry/Herry' -- Harry being the medieval English colloquial short form of Henry. It was adopted as a given name starting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, part of a broader English-language trend of turning family surnames into first names.
How it travels
English and Turkish are shown by default; German is included when it adds a meaningfully different reading.
Spelling stability: high — based on letter-pattern analysis, not a documented linguistic fact.
Also documented
British English (RP): HA-ri-sən
Popularity without panic
Familiar — #116 in the latest U.S. ranking.
Familiar enough to feel established, distinctive enough to stand out.
Full-name check
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Real-world considerations
- Familiar — #116 in the latest U.S. ranking.
- Spelling note: Harison (single r).
- Harrison's meaning is inherited at one remove: it is not an original given-name root but a surname built on another name (Harry/Henry). Some low-quality baby-name aggregators attach spurious secondary origins (e.g., an 'Aboriginal' gloss) to Harrison; no reputable etymological source supports this, and it is not used here.
Explore alternatives
Documented as a related name or variant form.
Documented as a related name or variant form.
Documented as a related name or variant form.