theharveyfamily

Origin of the Name

The Harvey name can be traced back to the conquest of England by William of Normandy. Soldiers bearing the name came to England with the conqueror. The Normans were descendants of Vikings who overran and settled in Northern France during the Dark Ages. The Norman version of the name was Harewig, meaning "warrior". After the successful invasion of England William granted large estates to, amongst others of his army, the Harveys, as the name later became known. The Harveys' estates were situated in the area now known as Norfolk. From there the bearers of the Harvey name spread out , firstly to the rest of England, Ireland and Wales and later to many parts of the globe. Many Harveys became famous in numerous fields such as medicine and other sciences , as well as politics, the arts and exploration.