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Irish surname

Hart: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó hAirt · 'descendant of Art' (bear, stone, noble)

Hart has two different sources in Woulfe (1923). It is an anglicised form of the Irish Ó hAirt, 'descendant of Art', a Meath family later settled in Co. Sligo; and it is also a surname of foreign origin meaning 'the hart'. In the 1890 birth indexes Hart and Harte together had 122 entries in Ireland.

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Coat of arms associated with the Hart surname
Irish formÓ hAirt
Meaning'descendant of Art' (bear, stone, noble)
CountiesMeath, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon
Other spellings3

Origin of the Hart name

Ó hAirt: a Meath family originally seated near Tara, dispossessed soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion, when they settled in the barony of Carbury, Co. Sligo; 'still very common in Connacht' (Woulfe). Separately, Woulfe lists Hart, Harte ('the hart') in his class XII: occupative and descriptive surnames of foreign origin.[1][2][3]

  1. After the Anglo-Norman invasionÓ hAirt family, dispossessed in Meath, settle in Carbury, Co. Sligo.[1]
  2. 1690'O HART' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[5]
  3. 1890122 births: Hart 64 (Antrim, Dublin, Cork), Harte 58 (Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon).[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. MeathÓ hAirt originally seated in the neighbourhood of Tara.[1]
Co. SligoÓ hAirt settled in Carbury barony; 'Harte' principally found in Sligo in 1890.[1][4]
Co. LeitrimAmong the counties where the spelling 'Harte' was principally found in 1890.[4]
Co. RoscommonAmong the counties where the spelling 'Harte' was principally found in 1890.[4]
Co. AntrimFirst county named for the spelling 'Hart' in the 1890 birth indexes.[4]
Co. DublinAmong the counties where the spelling 'Hart' was principally found in 1890.[4]
Co. CorkAmong the counties where the spelling 'Hart' was principally found in 1890.[4]

Other spellings

Harte · O'Hart · O'Harte[1][2]

The Hart coat of arms

The name appears as 'O HART' in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as printed by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named Hart is entitled to a coat of arms.[5]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Hart surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Hart crest gifts

Clan Ohart Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapMX21 Classic Cap - Ohart Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ohart Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Hart Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapOC25 Classic Cap - Hart Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Hart Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Hart surname: questions

Is Hart an Irish or English surname?

Woulfe gives two sources. Hart and Harte are anglicised forms of the Irish Ó hAirt; Woulfe also lists Hart, Harte ('the hart') among occupative and descriptive surnames of foreign origin, without naming the country.[1][2][3]

What does the surname Hart mean?

As Ó hAirt it means 'descendant of Art' (bear, stone, noble); as a surname of foreign origin Woulfe glosses it 'the hart'.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Hart family from?

Woulfe says the Ó hAirt family were first seated near Tara in Meath and later settled in Carbury, Co. Sligo. In 1890 'Harte' was found mainly in Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon, and 'Hart' in Antrim, Dublin and Cork.[1][4]

Are Hart and Harte the same name?

Woulfe lists both spellings under Ó hAirt and under the foreign-origin Hart. Matheson counted them together in 1890 but found them principally in different counties.[1][2][4]

Sources

  1. Ó hAirt — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oh/o-hairt.php
  2. Hart — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/h/hart.php
  3. Classes of Irish Surnames — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/classes-irish-surnames.php
  4. Hart — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/hart.php
  5. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).