Find out how popular the last name Hérard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hérard.

Hérard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hérard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hérard in America

Hérard is the 33894th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hérard surname appeared 671 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hérard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hérard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hérard

The surname HERARD is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Hérard," which itself comes from the Germanic elements "heri" (army) and "hard" (hardy or brave). This suggests that the name was likely borne by someone of a military background or with a reputation for bravery.

The earliest known recorded instance of the HERARD surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, the name appears as "Herardus," referring to a landowner in Normandy.

In the 12th century, a nobleman named Hugues HERARD was recorded as a vassal of the Count of Champagne in northern France. He was noted for his participation in the Second Crusade, which took place between 1147 and 1149.

During the 13th century, the HERARD surname was associated with the village of Hérard in the Normandy region of France. This place name likely derived from the same Germanic roots as the surname itself.

One notable bearer of the HERARD name was Jean HERARD, a French poet and chronicler who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1505). He is best known for his collection of verse titled "Les Gestes des Bretons."

In the 16th century, a French explorer and navigator named Jacques HERARD (c. 1550-1610) led several expeditions to the New World and is credited with mapping portions of the Canadian coastline.

Another significant figure was Sébastien HERARD (1590-1666), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais.

The HERARD name also appeared in England during the 16th century, likely brought over by French Huguenot refugees. One such individual was Jacques HERARD (c. 1525-1588), a Protestant minister who fled religious persecution in France and settled in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hérard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hérard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hérard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hérard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hérard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hérard, please contact us.

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