Fun Facts About the Name Harrington
- 338 babies named Harrington: U.S. records list 338 babies given the name Harrington from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Harrington Mean?
Harrington is an English habitational name. It usually means 'settlement of Hæra's people,' and in some cases 'settlement of Hæfer's people,' from places called Harrington in England. The names were formed from an Old English personal name plus the group suffix -ingas ('people of') and tūn ('settlement, farm'). A place-name derivation of this type describes a settlement associated with a group of people, not a personal quality. The Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire places are usually explained from the personal name Hæra; Harrington in Cumbria is usually explained from Hæfer. Because the surname could come from more than one of these places, the first element is not completely certain.
Harrington Name History & Origins
The place names behind Harrington are recorded in medieval England. Harrington in Lincolnshire appears in early records in a form such as Heringetun, and Harrington in Northamptonshire has a similar recorded form. Harrington in Cumbria, in the old county of Cumberland, is recorded in the 12th century as Hæferingatūn. These forms show the Old English elements -ingas and tūn combined with a personal name.
From these places the surname Harrington developed. In medieval England, families often took their surname from the manor or parish where they held land, and by the later Middle Ages Harrington was established as a family name. A medieval family taking its name from Harrington in Cumberland held lands there, and the surname also appears in Lincolnshire and elsewhere. The spelling Harington, with one r, is a variant associated with the same surname tradition.
As a given name, Harrington is a transferred use of the surname. It has no separate ancient personal-name history and does not come from a saint's name or a biblical name. In English-speaking countries, especially the United States, surnames have been used as given names in the modern period, and Harrington has appeared occasionally in that way. It remains far more common as a surname than as a first name.
How Popular is the Name Harrington?
Harrington has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #2,365 in 1913.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,208 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #10,231 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #12,897 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #8,547 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #10,097 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #12,743 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #6,922 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,481 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #8,387 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #8,381 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #7,689 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #8,402 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #12,989 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,043 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #9,289 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #12,718 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2003 | #11,521 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #8,792 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #11,191 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #10,503 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #9,538 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #9,343 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #6,696 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,651 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,921 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,619 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #6,160 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #4,611 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,797 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,221 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #3,607 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #3,899 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #2,971 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,972 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1942 | #3,060 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #3,268 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #3,873 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #2,870 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1929 | #4,230 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #3,244 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #3,924 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,082 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #2,840 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1921 | #4,618 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #4,016 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #2,765 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1918 | #4,433 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #4,176 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1913 | #2,365 | 7 | 0.0014% |
| 1912 | #2,394 | 6 | 0.0014% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Harrington Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Harrington's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Harrington's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.