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

Herrington, 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 Herrington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herrington in America

Herrington is the 2491st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herrington surname appeared 14,498 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Herrington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Herrington 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 Herrington

The surname Herrington has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hering" and "tun," meaning "the town of the herring fishermen" or "the settlement of the herring fishers." This suggests that the name may have originated in coastal areas where herring fishing was a prominent industry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Herrington can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland from 1195, which mention a person named William de Heringtun. This indicates that the name was well-established in the northern counties of England by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Heringtone and Heringtoun, reflecting the evolving spellings of the time. One notable example is Robert de Herington, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1256.

The Domesday Book, the comprehensive record of landowners and holdings compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the surname Herrington. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Herinton (Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire) and Herintone (Harrington, Northamptonshire), which may have been the origins of the name.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Herrington surname continued to be prevalent in northern England, particularly in Northumberland and Durham. One notable figure from this period was John Herrington, a merchant and alderman of Newcastle upon Tyne, who lived in the late 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Herrington family was well-established in various parts of England. One notable member was Robert Herrington (c. 1550-1620), a Catholic priest who ministered in Yorkshire and was imprisoned for his faith during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Other notable individuals with the surname Herrington include Sir William Herrington (1627-1693), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne, and James Herrington (1784-1876), an English-born American farmer and pioneer who settled in Ohio.

As the centuries progressed, the Herrington surname spread beyond its northern English roots, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in other parts of the country and eventually emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herrington

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

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

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

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