Many French families bear names similar to the Swiss Hauris, but they have a different origin. Noms de Famille, an amateur effort, lists the following:

Arouet, a name immortalized by Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire, 1694-1778), but now extinct. It might be a variant of Arrouet, which is undoubtedly a diminutive of arrou, which means a watering or feeding trough.

Auer, a German or Alsatian name that might indicate the aurochs, a wild ox present in central Europe (the nickname of a hard man, according to M.T. Morlet). But, it is more likely a designation for a person who lived in a locality with that name, which meant a meadow at the edge of a river, or a willow planation.

Auray, a name found in Rhône, Puy-de-Dôme and Allier, and also in Loire-Atlantique. In Brittany, it might originate from the place name Auray. Elsewhere, it might also be a toponym. There is an Auray à Molles in Allier, and it is possible that in Rhône, Auray is a corruption of Avray (the commune of Saint-Just-d’Avray). Also worth considering is the personal name Aureil (Latin, Aurelius), borne by a Bishop of Puy.

Auré, found especially in Vendée. The name indicates an origin in Auré, the name of several localities in Poitou-Charentes (as well as the name of a commune in the form of Auray). Without the accented e, it should be a place swept by the wind (ancien French aure, haure).

Haori, an Arabic name more frequently found as El Haouri. It is a variant of Hawri, El Hawri (”dweller near a lake”), from a place called (el) Hawr, a place name found in Egypt and lakes in Iraq.

Harari, originally from North Africa, this name is associated with Sephardic Jews. It comes from the Arabic Harrâr, a trade name meaning one who weaves or embroiders silk. Variants: Harar, Harrar, Harrari, El Harrar, Elharrar.

Haré, a Norman name. It might correspond to the cry “Haré,” by which sergeants marked the end of a fair. More generally, it was also used for calling dogs.

Harroué, a name found in Lorraine. It originally designated someone from Haroué, a commune in Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Haure, Diminutive of Haur, Haure. It is the Gascon form of Faure (=blacksmith).

Haurou, sometimes written Haürou, it is a derivative of the Gascon haure (= blacksmith). Note that there is locality Haurou near Arthez-de-Béarn.

Oriez, a name found especially in Belfort. Variant: Oriet. Other forms include Horiet or Horiot, Horriot, in which M.T. Morlet sees the nickname of one dischanged (Ancient French, holier, horier, horlier). Perhaps also related to the oriole.

Oroy, the oldest mentions locate the name in Marne and Aisne. It should be a toponym indicating oratory (Latin, oratorium). It might derive from the hamlet of Auroir à Foreste, or from the communes of Oroër, Orroire et Orrouy, in Oise, all of which have the same origin.

Ourry, common in La Manche, this name is an alternative of Oury. The two forms were employed interchangeably in Côtes-d’Armor in the 17th century.

Ory, perhaps a variant of Oury, but perhaps also originating from the toponym, Orry-la-Ville, a suburb of Paris.

Oury, a name found simultaneously in Brittany and in the east. It denotes someone of Germanic origin, from the personal name Odalric (odal = patrimony + ric = rich).

In the Gascon dialect of southwestern France, haure means a forge, and haury means a blacksmith. The Horrys of South Carolina probably derive from one such family. Elias Horry (1664-1736), of Charentin, France immigrated to South Carolina about 1691. His father Jean Horry had been an elder in the Protestant church in Paris. Horry County, South Carolina was named for that family.

There was a Hauri family at Freiburg-im-Breisgau, in Baden-Württemberg in the 13th century. The city belonged to the von Urach family, who were Counts of Freiburg. In 1299 a war broke out between the city and Count Egino II over the issue of taxes. The burghers fired on Schlossberg with catapults. The Count called upon his brother-in-law, Konrad von Lichtenberg, Bishop of Strasbourg, for help. In the ensuing battle, on 29 July 1299, the Bishop was stabbed and killed by Metzger Hauri (”Butcher” Hauri). He became a local hero, even though the city was fined a ruinous amount for the murder, and was required to set a cross to mark the site. A monument in the town square and a city street (Hauriweg) memorialize the butcher, and the Butchers’ Guild has since had the honor of marching first in the Fronleichnamsprozession.

Rudolf Hauri of Zofingen wrote an article in 1961 claiming that the Hauris are descendants of Hovri, a Russian merchant who settled in Switzerland in the 13th century (Rudolf Hauri, “Die Familie Hauri”, Zofinger Neujahrsblatt 1961, pp. 94-105):

“Zur Zeit der grossen Völkrwanderung im 13. Jahrhundert kamen auch Kaufleute mit Namen Hovri in unsere Gegend. Diese Leute stammten aus Russland. Es war ein strammer, arbeitsamer Volksschlag (J. Meier, Reinach).”

[During the great folk migrations of the 13th century merchants with the name Hovri came into our region. These people originated from Russia. They were a sturdy, industrious people (J. Meier, Reinach).]

The citation is to J. Meier, of Reinach, Etwelches über den Name Hauri. I have not been able to trace this source.

Historians agree that there was no known settlement by Russians in 13th century Switzerland. Apparently, this story draws on a local legend that the river Reuss takes its name from a settlement of Russians. Similarly, canton Schwyz in legend is said to take its name from a settlement of Swedes.

Later in the same article Rudolf Hauri says:

“Über die erste Ansiedlung gibt des Stifstarchiv Beromünster Auskunft. Am 17. Februar 1313 taucht der Name Houri erstmals in Beromünster auf. Die Familie war angeblich russisch-katholisch.”

[The Stifstarchiv of Beromünster gives information about the first settlement there. On 17 February 1313 the name Houri appears for the first time in Beromünster. The family was allegedly Russian Catholic.]

I read this to mean that the early Hauris were supposedly Russian Old Catholics (starokatoliki) rather than Russian Orthodox. Therefore, there would have been no conflict with them becoming parishioners, officials, priests and canons at the church of Beromünster. However, if Rudolf Hauri meant to imply there is some documentary evidence that they were Russian Catholics, he was surely mistaken.

Dr. P. R. Máthé of the Staatsarchiv des Kantons Aargau comments that a Russian settlement in Switzerland in the 13th century “must be a very hard misunderstanding.” (Personal Communication, 10 July 1990)

The misunderstanding comes into focus when we know there was a medieval legend the Reuss River in Switzerland took its name from a settlement of Russian merchants. Rudolf Hauri was following what he thought was good scholarship. I’m surprised the Staatsarchiv was not able to make the connection.

Alternatively, one history of Reinach says that the Hauri or Hovry family came from the Balkan states in the 10th century and settled at Sursee (H. Hauri, 1997). I find occasional mentions of a Balkan family surnamed Hovry or Hovri. Someone seems to have speculated about a connection.