HARMES - german origins?

[aakarlhamo]

Hi

I am trying to find out about the roots of my Harmes surname.

I have traced our family line back to the 17th c in Bolney, West Sussex.
There is also a mention in the Bolney parish records of the family name as far back as 1486.
However, it has been suggested that the name originated in north Germany and that there is a connection with Harmsdorf and possibly Finland!!

Can anyone throw a light on this or point me in the right direction as to where and how I can start to research this.

Oh, slight problem though as I don't speak German 

Thanks
Carole

[Peonie]

Hi Carole,

looking at German sites I found these which may be of interest:

http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/harmes.html

http://www.houseofnames.com/harmes-family-crest

http://baseportal.de/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/Laidler/Familiennamen&Name~=H&range=40,20

http://oelfke.wikia.com/wiki/Harms

In Germany the name seems to be more common without the "e".
There are two origins, both from Northern German dialects. One derived from the Christian name Hermann and the other from Hermelin - furrier.

Good luck, Peonie

[aakarlhamo]

Morning Peonie

Many thanks for the links I will give them a try.

Carole 

[Shertur]

Hello Carole

I have Harmes in my tree (maternal grandmother's name).  My Harmes were from Surrey/Middlesex.

Are any of yours from that area?

Regards

Christine

[aakarlhamo]

Hello Christine

My Harmes originate from Sussex and my gt gt gt grandfather was in Hammersmith in the 1840's onwards.  He was a tailor.   I also have a distant cousin in Thame.

He is the one who has got me looking for our German origins.  I am sure if we went back far enough there would be a connection with the Surrey/Mddx Harmes .  Do you know anything about them?

The earliest record apparently is a marriage for an Andrew Harmes at Bolney, Sussex abt 1446.  Think it was a Bennett he married!

I have some trees with different branches of the Harmes families on ancestry if you would like an invite just send me your email

Regards
Carole

[Shertur]

Thanks for your reply Carole.  As far as I can see there doesn't appear to be a link here.

My Harmes go back to c. 1710 with a Richard. There are then three more Richards until I get to Joseph who married Eliza Johnson in 1872.  Joseph was b. in West Molesey, Surrey (unsure of birthplaces for the Richards).

My maternal grandmother was one of 9 children b. to Joseph & Eliza.

However, if I could have a look at your Harmes trees I would be grateful.

^(*)

Many thanks

Christine

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[Shertur]

Hi again,

I've just remembered that I sent for a marriage cert ages ago now, for an Arthur Heinrich Harms (no e) and Marie Elisabeth Casanova.  The marriage was on 3 June 1912 in Isleworth, Middx.  Arthur's father was an Adolf, who was an artist. I don't think they are any relation to my Harmes.

That sounds pretty Germanic to me!  If the cert is of any interest, I could either send it to you or email it.

Regards

Christine

[Jimthefirsty1]

One of the earliest records dates back to 1363 in Friesland,in 1733 Hans Harms is mentioned in records from Lubeck and in 1752 Frerich Janssen Harms is listed,his son appears in records from 1786  as Johannes Harmjans. Klaus Harms was a preacher in Hulstein in 1800.
A coat of arms was granted to Ludulf Heinrich Harmes in Luneburg in 1741
The German surname Harmes and its variants Harms,Harm and Harmsen,The name indicates son of Harms[es], a pet name of Herman,the personal name Herman is derived from the old High German word Heri meaning "army" and "mann"
Alternatively the name has a nickname origin descriptive of some personal or physical characteristics of the original bearer,in this case the name is derived from the old  High German word harm meaning "weasel",it is also possible that the name is of local origin denoting "one who lived by the sign of the "weasel".
I have been researching the Sussex branch of the Harmes family for some years and am happy to pass on any details that may be of interest.s

[aakarlhamo]

Oh WOW, thanks.  Well I think as I am not sure about looking like a weasel ha ha
Mind you I am probably more like a cuckoo because  I think I have taken a wrong turn with one of my early Harmes and ended up in a wrong nest 

If you personal message me I can send you my email and an invite to my ancestry tree so you can see my line.

Carole