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

Herne, 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 Herne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herne in America

Herne is the 37591st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herne surname appeared 592 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 Herne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Herne 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 Herne

The surname HERNE is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "hærn," which means "a heron," a type of wading bird. This suggests that the name might have been initially used as a nickname for someone who had a resemblance to a heron or lived near a place where herons were commonly found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HERNE can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it is spelled as "Herne." This document lists several individuals with this surname, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.

The surname HERNE is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as a place name, "Herne," which was likely derived from the same Old English word and may have been the origin of the surname.

In the 14th century, the surname HERNE is recorded in various medieval documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, where it is spelled as "Herne." This suggests that the name was widespread across different regions of England during this period.

One notable historical figure with the surname HERNE was Sir John Herne (c. 1450-1522), who was a prominent English courtier and diplomat during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He served as the Lord Treasurer of England from 1509 to 1522.

Another individual with the surname HERNE was William Herne (c. 1540-1605), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Ely Cathedral from 1598 until his death in 1605.

In the 17th century, the surname HERNE is associated with Thomas Herne (1605-1693), an English Anglican clergyman and antiquarian who wrote several works on the history and antiquities of Oxford.

Later, in the 18th century, Samuel Herne (1738-1786) was an English engraver and artist known for his contributions to the development of mezzotint engraving techniques.

In the 19th century, one notable figure with the surname HERNE was Samuel Herne (1796-1868), an English cricketer who played for Hampshire and was considered one of the leading cricketers of his time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herne

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

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 Herne 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 Herne 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 Herne was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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