Harrisons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plural of the surname Harrison, referring to several people or a whole family who share that English family name
2. A group of people who all carry the family name Harrison, or the family household bearing that surname together
3. Collectively the bearers of the English surname Harrison, meaning more than one person or a family known by that name

Etymology: "Harrisons" is simply the plural of "Harrison," a surname formed from the given name Harry with the suffix "-son," meaning "son of." So a Harrison was originally a son of someone called Harry, and the plural refers either to several such families or to a household gathered under the name. The "-son" ending is one of the oldest and most productive ways English formed surnames. It descends from Old English "sunu," meaning "son," which passed through Middle English "sone" and the suffix "-son" before becoming a living part of English naming. Many English family names follow the same pattern, such as Johnson, Robertson, and Jackson, each built from a first name plus "-son." Harry itself began as a pet form of Henry, which is why the surname can be traced back through a familiar nickname to a much older given name. Once "-son" was added, the name no longer marked a single individual but could pass down through generations as a hereditary family name.