Harlan

H4A1R1L1A1N1

proper noun

A surname from Old English.

OriginOld English har →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A surname from Old English.
  2. A male given name transferred from the surname or place name.
  3. A number of places in the United States:
    1. A census-designated place in Allen County, Indiana.
    2. A city, the county seat of Shelby County, Iowa.
    3. An unincorporated community in Smith County, Kansas.
    4. A home rule city, the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky.
    5. An unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Oregon.
    6. Three townships in the United States, listed under Harlan Township.

Origin

  1. Old Englishhar“grey”
  2. EnglishHarlan

American contraction of Harland, from Old English har (“grey”) / hara (“hare”) + land (“land”).

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Ralhan
Cite this entry
APA

Harlan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harlan

MLA

“Harlan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harlan. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Harlan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Harlan.

Source: Harlan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.