Harry Kane—you might argue he’s currently England’s most famous man with pub-goers up and down the country chanting his name. All together now, it’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming…
The 24-year-old England captain and Tottenham Hotspur striker is riding high in the popularity stakes at the moment. After years of disappointing performances in the world and European arena, Harry’s captaincy and performance has lifted English morale to an all-time high.
Probate genealogy
Naturally, we at Finders International are interested in Harry’s family tree as probate genealogy is our area of expertise. What’s Harry’s background?
Let’s look at the origins of the surname Kane first. It has variations such as Kain, Kane, Kann, Kayne and Cain, and may come from several origins. The first might relate to an old French name, a nickname for a tall thin man. Harry Kane is 6ft 2ins, so his moniker seems appropriate. Some 15 percent of surnames are thought to stem from nicknames.
Or Kane might originate from an occupational name for a reed weaver or merchant—a person who sold reeds used for thatching, flooring and basket weaving. The derivation comes from ‘Cane’, an obvious name for a reed.
Good-looking
It might be a locational name used to describe a former inhabitant of the French Norman town Caen. ‘Caen’ means battlefield. Welsh sources use Cain or Keina (for women) to mean good-looking and there’s no doubt Harry has plenty of cheeky charm.
Early records for the name date back to church registers in the early 17th century when a Michael Cain married a Rebecca Chapell in the famous St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street in London. There was also a Godfrey Kein in 1198.
Harry’s not the only well-known Harry Kane. The name also belonged to an American illustrator who lived from 1912 to 1988, and best know for his drawings for Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators books.
Son of an Irish immigrant
When it comes to his family tree, Harry’s dad, Pat, is the son of an Irish immigrant meaning Harry could have played for the Republic of Ireland. Eric Kane, Harry’s grandfather was a “useful footballer”, according to his grandson, and played to a decent level.
Harry’s mother Kim’s maiden name was Hogg. The origins of that name might include the occupational name for a swineherd. It’s also an occupational name for a shepherd (hogget is the name for a domestic sheep older than a lamb).
The Mirror ran an article saying Harry Kane could well have been Harry Potter, thanks to his ancestry. On his mother’s side (the Hoggs), Harry is descended from a long line of potters—three generations in fact, the first William Hogg born in the late 1700s.