For Harris, I would start with 哈: it keeps the first character of the established Chinese transcription 哈里斯, Hālǐsī, and it is an independently documented surname. There is one detail to settle before using it: surname references record both Hǎ and Hā. 韩, Hán, written 韓 in traditional characters, offers a looser opening-sound alternative. If the older idea of “home” behind Henry matters to you, 家, Jiā, is a meaning-led option, with a more indirect connection to Harris.
These are choices for an adult adding a surname to a Chinese given name. Keeping the complete 哈里斯 is equally reasonable if you want your original surname to remain easier to recognise.
哈 preserves the written beginning
Taiwan's National Academy for Educational Research lists Harris — 哈里斯 in its table of common English surnames, on printed page 11 of its name-translation reference. This is an established transcription to work from, rather than a new spelling invented for this guide. Official name-translation reference, PDF page 22.
Choosing 哈 alone keeps that first character and removes 里斯. It does not make the remaining character an exact miniature of the whole English surname. Collins gives /ˈhærɪs/ for its British surname entry: two syllables, with the first stressed. English accents differ, so use your own family's pronunciation when making the comparison.
Mandarin h has a different articulation from the usual English h, and the vowel in ha does not exactly reproduce /æ/. The English r and the final /ɪs/ are gone. Mandarin also asks you to choose a lexical tone, something the stress on Harris cannot supply. The useful connection is that 哈 preserves the beginning of an established written adaptation.
The surname's tone needs its own check
The Chinese dictionary Hàndiǎn puts the surname sense of 哈 under hǎ, with the third tone. The Ministry of Education's Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary, however, puts surname use under hā, the first tone, citing the historical name 哈銘. The two entries therefore give direct surname evidence with different tones. Hàndiǎn entry.
This is a practical choice to discuss with a Mandarin teacher or speaker in the community where you will use the name. Hǎ follows the surname reading in Hàndiǎn; Hā has explicit support in the Taiwanese dictionary and matches the first syllable of Hālǐsī. Neither reading should be presented as the only one every family uses.
If you choose Hǎ, explain that you kept the character while using that documented surname tone. If you choose Hā, you can explain both the transcription link and the dictionary you followed. Write the tone mark in your learning notes so it does not change accidentally each time you introduce yourself.
哈 also appears in words for laughter, but that ordinary use is not a reason to label a person with this surname cheerful or unserious. The reason to consider it here is its sound and written connection to Harris.
韩 is a different approximation, not a correction of 哈
韩／韓, Hán, is recorded as a surname under that pronunciation in the Ministry of Education's Small Dictionary. It keeps an h-like opening and a low vowel, while adding a final n that Harris does not have. It uses a rising second tone. The English r and second syllable are still lost.
Hán does not improve every part of the match. Its particular advantage is that it offers a different, documented surname with a clear reading in the source consulted, if you prefer how Hán sounds in your full Chinese name. Its cost is losing the exact character 哈 and adding that nasal ending.
The character also names an ancient Chinese state. That history belongs to the Chinese character; it is not a translation of Harris or evidence that a Harris family comes from that state. You do not need to borrow an ancient general's accomplishments to justify a sound-based choice.
I would keep 哈 ahead of 韩 when preserving the visible link to 哈里斯 is the priority. Compare Hán when the extra n and rising tone genuinely suit your intended name better. Both choices work from the opening; there is no need to jump to the middle of 哈里斯 simply because another character looks more familiar.
家 keeps one part of an older name's meaning
The *Dictionary of American Family Names* entry reproduced by FamilySearch explains the English surname through Harry plus the genitival ending -s. It also records other routes to Harris, including an Irish anglicisation and altered surnames in America. The spelling alone cannot tell you which history belongs to your family.
For the Harry route, there is a further step back to Henry. The Online Etymology Dictionary's Henry entry traces the older name to elements for home and ruler. This gives you a possible personal association, rather than a one-word translation of Harris.
家, Jiā, is both a word connected with home and an attested surname under the jiā reading in the Ministry of Education dictionary. If home, belonging or the people you live with are what you want to carry into your Chinese name, it is worth considering.
The losses are substantial and should be welcome ones: Jiā gives up the sound of Harris, the “ruler” element and the relationship expressed by the surname's -s. You keep only the home association from the older personal name. This option makes most sense if that historical route is relevant to you, or if you knowingly choose it as an association you like.
家 has several other uses in Chinese, so it needs to be introduced clearly as your surname. 我姓家，家庭的家, “My surname is Jiā, the 家 in 家庭, family,” explains the character. It does not claim that the Chinese and English surnames share an origin.
You do not need a ruler or a borrowed ancestor
An old personal name containing a word for ruler does not establish that Harris was an occupational surname for a household steward, or that every Harris family had royal ancestry. It supplies no particular ancient Chinese office or family to adopt as a counterpart. I would therefore not add a cultural-role surname on that basis.
The name also should not be turned into a weaving story just because of Harris Tweed. The etymological entry for Harris treats the fabric name through the place Harris, separately from the surname's Harry route. A shared modern spelling does not make the surname mean “weaver”.
Make the choice in your whole name
Try your intended Chinese given name after 哈, with the particular tone you have chosen, then after 韩 Hán and 家 Jiā. Ask someone to repeat what they hear before showing the characters. Check how the surname and first given-name character join up, rather than judging the surname in isolation.
My starting choice remains 哈 for the direct written connection, with its tone made explicit. 韩 is a deliberate change in sound and spelling; 家 is a deliberate change of emphasis towards home. If you want to retain more of Harris itself, use 哈里斯 rather than forcing a one-character solution.
*Series reference: Harris is number 22 in the private British Surnames list used for this series, within Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales, excluding Northern Ireland. Its reference year, counting unit and method remain unverified. This is not an official current UK population ranking. Ranking; geographical scope.*
