Heron (surname)

Heron (/hɛrən/) is a surname originating in the British Isles and Normandy during the Middle Ages.

Heron
A heron
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Old English, Old French, Irish Gaelic
MeaningVarious; nickname for a tall, thin man resembling a heron; habitational name from Harome or Le Héron; descendant of the feared one, the swarthy one or son of the servant of St. Ciaran
Region of originBritish Isles, Normandy
Other names
Variant form(s)Herron, Herroun and Hairon

Origin

This name is believed to have more than one origin. In England, it is most commonly derived as nickname for a tall, thin man with long legs from Middle English heiroun/heyron itself coming from Old French hairon. The surname may also be an habitual name; of Anglo-Saxon origin from Harome in North Yorkshire or Norman origin from Le Héron, near Rouen.[1]

In Ireland, this surname is often an Anglicised form of any one of three Irish Gaelic names: "O'hEarain", descendant of the feared one; "O'Huidhrin", descendant of the swarthy one; or "Mac GiollaChiarain", son of the servant of St. Ciaran.[2] The name Heron can also come from Ó Eachthighearna, which means "descendant of the horse lord".

An early recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Herun, which was dated 1150, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire".[2] The name became prominent on the Anglo-Scottish border as a clan of border reivers operating between the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century.[3] Today, in the United Kingdom the surname is most commonly found in County Down, Tyne and Wear, Surrey and Lancashire.[4]

Notable people with the surname

References
  1. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
  2. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/hairon
  3. Robert Borland, Border Raids and Reivers, T. Fraser, 1898
  4. http://surname.sofeminine.co.uk/w/surnames/surname-heron.html
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