Nan's list of HARKEY immigrants from Ireland reminded me of something in Joseph Harkey's account of the NC Harkeys. I'll paste it below. Alma >> The Harkeys were Dutch. Whether they had always been Dutch is an interesting question. The name is unlike modern Dutch names, but of course it may have had a different form in Holland. There is place name Harkema in Holland, but a Dutch genealogist insists that Harkey does not sound Dutch! On the other hand, it may have come to Holland from Germany, France, Switzerland, or England. Holland was both a haven for victims of religious persecution and a great mart. Those who did go to Holland tended to become Dutchified. That's why the dissenters and nonconformists left Holland and went back to England: their children acted too Dutch for their English hearts. Of the Pennsylvania German names ending in y or ey, many are derived from French names. Naegly is an example. The Norman name Herichey could easily have become Harkey. Other examples can be cited. The most interesting theory, however, is that the name may have gone from England to Holland between 1660 and 1700, and come to America after the family was completely Dutchified. In the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, there were more than 30 Harkeys (and evidently plenty more) living around Grinton in Yorkshire. There was even a place named Harkeyside. The most common given name for these Harkeys was John. Since the name Harkey was so well established in its present form so early, and in so many places, one wonders if the family's oldest traceable roots may be in Yorkshire, England, rather than on the continent. Whether this question will ever be answered is open to conjecture. >>