The H600 Project: A Surname Study utilizes DNA analysis along with traditional genealogical records to link family lines through the centuries. The project is open to all with an interest in the covered surnames; and all variations and derivatives in all locations. We also do one-name study work for the surnames. Anyone with an interest is invited to collaborate here. See our About Us pages for more information.

Surnames define a Patriline for most Europeans in that they follow the male line of inheritance down for many generations. This happens to correspond to the transfer of a near-identical copy of the Y Chromosome (yDNA) down this same line. Hence the benefit of merging yDNA analysis with Patriline (surname) records research to create a more complete family thread through time. This Surname Study, like most, concentrates on using yDNA testing first to verify Patrilines with an Earliest Known Ancestor (EKA) that existed 300 to 900 years ago. Tying others who are not linked to common threads together through yDNA matching. We then support expansion to all with nearer-term Autosomal DNA testing to match non-Patriline family branches in the last 200 years. We hope to build some ability for 200 to 400 year out extreme autosomal and 500 year or closer extreme yDNA SNP matching as well. Autosomal testing helps in that any person can test, not just the male-line direct descendant. See our page on Genetic Genealogy for a further explanation of these DNA techniques. See our glossary entry for Surname Studies for more information on surnames and related, general studies involving them. See our How To Join page for more information on participating; especially if you are not on the Patriline.

Surnames in this project

The Hore, Hoar, and Hoare surnames mainly covered here are the most common, still-used surnames in England and around much of the world today. It is believed they have common roots (that is, are variations) but we may find they arose distinctly in separate, geographic locations within England. Hore is generally the earliest and only name that is seen before 1500.

Hoare is the most common surname that exists today; predominantly in Southern England and Ireland with a large concentration in Oceania as well. Hore is rare today and isolated to a very narrow area around Devonshire in Southwest England; but is also significant in Australia. Hore was most often changed to Hoar when settlers emigrated to North America. As a result, Hoar is the most common of the three surnames in North America and only found there. Hoar almost always derives from Hore in England. Once in North America, a change from Hoar to Horr or Hoard was common in the early 1700's. More recently, some have changed to existing surnames like Harr. A spelling that matches how the name was pronounced in 1800's Massachusetts. Variations also exist such as dropping the leading h: Orr, Ore and Oar. The H was silent in the British pronunciation of the surname for some. A few family branches did a more explicit, drastic name change to an existing surname like Hobart, Homer, Hudson, Howard, Shorr or Noar. Simply by adding one or more consonants (similar to Hoard mentioned earlier). Other variations reported are Hoor, Hoore, Hor, and Horre. See our Surname Frequency page for more information. Other changes in surname in a DNA proved patriline are simply purposeful changes (for example, using the mother's maiden name instead).

Hord is a special case we are including as (a) there are some distinct lines in North America with the name, (b) the surname is not common in England and (c) DNA tests are showing they derived from the main surname lines here. Hord was sometimes changed to Hoard in North America and thus caused even more overlap of the variations. Recent research in this group now believes the Hord name that became common due to a single, early Virginia colony immigrant, may be a deviant due to the misinterpretation of the script form of the name.

This particular Surname Study seems to hit a sweet spot of factors that make it a successful project:

1. the surnames are more rare and unique in use. Thus making research back for hundreds of years more fruitful as the name is not common and thus more easily tracked.
2. the surname has changed in patrilines often over the past 500-800 years and thus people often hit roadblocks in traditional research when they do not realize there was a change. And
3. the surname seems to have been distinct and isolated to a small area of England (and Ireland) early on before spreading out further and transforming.

As a result of these factors, we are having an early success with using genetic genealogy, in conjunction with traditional genealogical methods, to link people who are separated by hundreds of years (10 generations or more) and sometimes very different current surnames but matching yDNA. And also helping many stumped researchers get past roadblocks using only traditional records research. So if your DNA is hitting a match in one of our project subgroups, or you think there was simply a name change in your past, then come explore our project further.

While our work has always traced back to origins inside the UK, there are other (what appear as) "variants" that overlap here. Specifically, Scandinavian and German origin surnames of Harr, Hőrr, and Hœrr. If verified it is not a military shortening of a longer name (e.g. Harrington), then we can explore expanding our scope and coverage to these names as well. After all, this was originally thought to be the source of the surname for one of the founders here until genetic testing placed him directly in a line of this study. These variants do still meet our "Soundex Code" project name as well. Linguistic study seems to imply these variations from Nordic and Germanic areas may have had similar origins to surnames here; if the hair color story is the true source for the surname in all cases. But these surnames likely developed in parallel in these other locations.

Site Navigation

The real genealogical results to help any user, whether you have done any DNA testing or not, are in the Family Branches pages. Our yDNA Groupings pages provide the bridge from the yDNA and other genetic genealogy testing to our Family Branches page.  Often discoveries in DNA force a preliminary new, earlier Family Branches page as we look to discover the link between previously disparate Family Branches that now appear linked. This is the real crux of the work on this site. Our Autosomal DNA work is contained in Sub-Branches of the yDNA Groupings pages and generally visible only to the participating, tested and matching members. To get started in DNA Genetic testing, see our Genetic Genealogy page. There is a developing Glossary to help with all the terms and a generalized About Us and Site Help set of pages; what is visible there is very dependent on who is logged in. Finally, to aid our members, there are Members pages where they can build up wikis of their own interest and work. These are all the Wiki Structures (that is, like chapters in a "wiki" Book). Make sure to visit the other aspects (volumes) of this site such as the Forums, Blogs, Articles, and File Galleries.

Discovered History of the Surname

(citations needed here; needs to become an article or separate page?)
There are some old references claiming the Hore name sourced with a Norman invader from Auray, Brittany in France and more specifically a William de le Hore. Hore being the resultant middle English spelling of the current French town. This William settled in Wales. A named descendant then supposedly went as Strongbow's flag bearer to retake Ireland for the deposed Irish king at King Edward's request.  Establishing the Pole Hore line there. Otherwise, the earliest documented line (in a time when only nobles were so documented) is the Risford Manor line started around 1330 in Chagford, Devon, England. Historical stories claim they were started by a non-heir son from the Pole Hore line in Wexford, Ireland. As the Pole Hore's of Wexford and the Risford Manor Hore's of Chagford, Devon are the only uses of the surname documented before 1500, many try to tie their line to them. And thus these are more stories that were woven than truly provable links. We will use the DNA work to try and help clarify these and other stories of old. We are still investigating the historical use of Hoar and Hoare more fully to see if they are truly only variations of Hore or originated distinctly in their own right in some cases..

During the middle ages origin of surnames, it appears the surname was predominantly Hore in Devon, England and Hoare in other parts of Southern England and far-eastern Ireland. Hoar became a predominant variation upon arrival in the North America in the 1600's and beyond. It is believed to have been pronounced H-aw-r in the Boston Bay Colony and is still that way today in the Boston and Maine area. But those simply seeing the spelling later on seemed to have caused a pronunciation change over time to the more phonetically-looking way that rhymes with Door and makes the H explicit. Due to similarity with another term in more common use in the America's, this is likely the reason for the more drastic changes to other forms like Hoard. The New England pronunciation would explain the change to Harr by many in the late 1800's when written records of people started becoming required in North America. There is an anecdotal citation and much written on whether leading H's are silent or not (especially on changed North American pronunciations of English words — think Herb as a spice versus a person's given name; or Where versus Who where the opposite consonant is silent in each.)

There are many different origins to surnames as explained at the Guild. (1) Some claim this surname is locative and derives from a Norman (Brittany) town of Auray as the English lines appear to link to a Norman invader and possibly a family there. The early use of "le Hore" and "de la Hore" would seem to indicate this. (2) Others believe the surname is a nickname derived from the old English color and the name of marker stones. The stones were of a type of granite that would turn whitish on top with age and was found naturally in the Southwest England and Wexford, Ireland areas; especially Devon. The color definition is also used to explain the origin of terms such as Hoar Frost and Hoar Fog. The English word Hour is supposedly also sourced from this term as it was a marker of time passage as opposed to distance on the road. Even if this name source is true, the surname may still be locative and derive for people that come from the area where these granite outcroppings occur. Another explanation tied to the color theme is that those with the (surname went prematurely greyish-white without losing any hair. Hence the surname is after a hair color (physical appearance) and not location (that is, locative). For many in this group today, they definitely still exhibit this historical claim of hair and thus we wonder if there is a gene variation in the Y chromosome that could explain this. But the statistical significance and genetic trace is not really understood to make any such claim; especially since many in the general population (not just this Patriline) exhibit this early white hair syndrome.

Why the (re)branding to H600?

How did we come up with the name H600 for the project? We needed an easily identifiable domain name where most/all of the common TLD extensions were available; so confusion would not exist. While one of the main surnames could work, it would potentially label us as partial or specific to that surname. Roz had been using the US Census Bureau Soundex code for the three main variations of the original name for years — H600. This happens to cover some variants the name was changed to as well. (Except for the special class of names with the code H630 — can you determine what variations fit that?) This led to a simple, easy-to-remember domain name that was available in (almost) all the major TLDs (including .eu and .uk). The project (re)branding process thus occurred and led to the birth of this domain and transfer of material from other sites. This rebranded site started in 2016..

What we are or are not

• We are a site to allow researchers to collaborate and share information about their discoveries. Possibly filling in missing pieces of a puzzle to create a more complete whole picture of our ancestors.
• We are a site to publish information that others have discovered or collected to thus aid others in their research.  And to that end, to be a one-name study on all things related to the surname.  As a result, we have registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies (GoONS). We try and avoid republishing material here and instead hope to simply reference it from other sites and work. Where information is truly unique and newly created by this study, we source it here.
• We are not a site to settle disputes but to highlight newly discovered information that is uncovered or derived by the members. The hope is that we can all come to agreement on the likely, most correct interpretation of known information. And maybe develop and promote strong evidence and proofs to support or dispute earlier work. Our over-riding goal is to make all information (or references thereof) available to everyone as much as possible so everyone can draw their own conclusions.
• We are not a heraldry site. While some of the families are formally cataloged and listed in the college of heraldry, we are not trying to prove or disprove families and their participation there. To the extent that coats of arms or crests are similar and in use among what are seemingly disparate families, we only use that information along with other clues given by DNA and written records to develop our best hypothesis on likely relations. DNA is providing a big benefit to helping prove or disprove theories in this regard; possibly better than accepted, documented Heraldry records may show.