An English and Scottish surname, Harding comes from the Old French term ‘hearding’ and the Old English term of ‘heard’ which refers to someone as brave and hardy. The spelling variations for Harding include Arding, Hardinge, Hardin and Harden. In England the earliest Harding families were from Derbyshire. Over the centuries they spread to the city of London, Surrey, Hampshire, Somerset, Devon, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire. In Scotland most with the Harding surname live in the southern regions including Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Renfrewshire and Dumfries-shire. In Ireland the Harding surname is popular in Tipperary. Within the United States the Harding family name originated in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, California and Maine. Famous: Warren G. Harding (U. S. President), Lavere ‘Buster’ Harding (music composer and musician from Canada), Chester Harding (19th century portrait artist), Tonya M. Harding (champion figure skater), Sarah N. Harding (English actress, singer and songwriter), Ann Harding (a movie, theater and television actress), C. B. Harding (movie film producer, director and screenwriter), Eric Harding (professional boxer), Lindsey Harding (champion female professional basketball player) and Tim Harding (champion chess player of England).