2000
#841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.85
Uncommon Last name
Herring
An occupational surname referring to a fish seller or merchant, derived from the Old English word for the fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,214 Americans carry the last name Herring. That puts it at #956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herring surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Herring with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,316
Census rank
#956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,941 bearers of the surname Herring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herring, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herring
The surname Herring is of English origin, deriving from the name of the small, edible fish. It is believed to have first emerged as an occupational name for someone who caught or sold herrings, or possibly a nickname for someone who had a particular fondness for eating the fish.
The name can be traced back to the late 12th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Roger Hering, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also list a Hugo Hering from Oxfordshire.
Herring is believed to have originated from the Old English word 'hæring', which itself derived from the Proto-Germanic 'haring-az'. Similar spellings from early records include Hering, Heringaud, and Heryngaud.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several place names that may have influenced the surname's development, such as Hering in Norfolk and Herings in Suffolk.
Notable historical figures with the surname Herring include John Herring (c.1597-1667), an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Thomas Herring (1693-1757), an English churchman who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 until his death.
Another prominent individual was John Frederick Herring (1795-1865), a renowned English painter and illustrator who specialized in depicting horses and other animals. His works can be found in numerous galleries and collections around the world.
In the literary world, John Herring (1591-1665) was an English poet and clergyman, best known for his work 'The Pious Memoirs' published in 1647. Additionally, John Herring (1683-1751) was a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of mechanics.
The surname Herring has a long and varied history, with roots stretching back to medieval England. While initially an occupational name, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, clergymen, artists, and scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herring
Among Census respondents with the surname Herring, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Herring bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Herring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 25,026
- Black or African American22.0% · 7,911
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,494
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,152
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 175
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herring
Herring appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,733
+1,380 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 13.13
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,941
-2,792 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 12.02
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #841 | 37,353 | 13.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #894 | 38,733 | 13.13 | +1,380 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #956 | 35,941 | 12.02 | -2,792 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 62 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Herring surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #894 | #956 | -6.9% |
| Count | 38,733 | 35,941 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 13.13 | 12.02 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herring bearers went from 38,733 to 35,941 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #894 to #956.
FAQ
Herring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herring?
Name Census estimates that about 41,214 living Americans carry the surname Herring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,316 residents.
How common is Herring?
Herring ranks #956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,941 people with the surname Herring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Herring.
Has Herring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herring went from 38,733 recorded bearers to 35,941. That is a decrease of 2,792 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #894 to #956.
What does the Census say about the background of Herring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herring, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Herring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (25,026 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.6%), Black (22.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Herring (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Herring mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fish seller or merchant, derived from the Old English word for the fish. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Herring (12.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Herring?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Herring on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.