The Herring surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 38,733 people carried this name — #894 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,620 people counted. That is up 4% from 37,353 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Herring surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Haring’.

An early record he cites: John Hareng, Bedfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Herring, Hering and Herrin.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 377 · public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

23 people named Herring is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Herring was found among the farmers of Lincolnshire: 8 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lincolnshire 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

181 families named Herring, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,028 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 15 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 63
Pennsylvania 38
South Carolina 20
Virginia 17
New York 13
Massachusetts 12
Maryland 12
Maine 2
New Hampshire 2
Connecticut 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Herring in American newspapers,
1894–1920.

Newspaper page from Chariton Courier carrying the name Herring
Chariton Courier 1901-08-16
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Herring
The Portland Daily Press 1894-11-02
Newspaper page from The Daily Gate City And Constitution-democrat carrying the name Herring
The Daily Gate City And Constitution-democrat 1920-09-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,388 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Herring in Australian newspapers,
1800s–1990s.

31,821 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Herring. The most, 6,692, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 10,703
Victoria 6,803
South Australia 4,875
Western Australia 4,295
Queensland 4,129
Tasmania 828
ACT (Canberra) 119
Northern Territory 28

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Herring.

Who carried it

People named Herring,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Francis Herring d. 1628 · writer
  • Gerard Herring d. 1703
  • Elsie de Strange Herring d. 1964
  • Kathleen Beryl Le Strange Herring d. 2001
  • William Herring d. 1843
  • Sir John Herring 1240–

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Herring,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,670 records

2,670 records of the Herring name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,303
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 503
  • Other U.S. records 864
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Harold Joerenzo Herring

    Born 1946; from Jacksonville, Florida. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Jacksonville National Cemetery, Florida.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ralph D. Herring

    Born 1930; from Montgomery County, Ohio. U.S. Army, field artillery cannoneer; killed in action 1950 in North Korea. Buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Henry Herring

    Born 1918 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1942 at Kelly Field, Texas; serviceman. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 2,670 records for Herring in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia653 records

653 records of the Herring name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 294
  • Tasmanian Names Index 164
  • Other Australian records 195
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Herring

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the America, sailing from Downs in 1831. Native of Kerry. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1835. Married 1836 in New Norfolk, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Vivian Maynard Herring

    Died 1919 in Ringarooma, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1919.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Grenadine Herring

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Anne Cropper, aged 12; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 653 records for Herring in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada74 records

74 records of the Herring name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 49
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 10
  • Other Canadian records 15
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Simsa Herring

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the London Frigate, bound for Port Roseway, aged 26.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rev'd Jno Herring

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Sarnia, landing at Quebec, bound for Rosseau, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Stirling Friend Herring

    Buried in 1996 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 80.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 74 records for Herring in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Germany47 records

47 records of the Herring name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 46
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Herring

    From Sonsbeck. Listed as returned from captivity in the German casualty list of 14 October 1919 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 26).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Carl Adolf Herring

    Naturalised at Nieder-Kinzig/Hessen in 1863.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hieronymus Herring

    From Rohrweiler. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 13 June 1919 (Foot Guards Regiment No. 1).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 47 records for Herring in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom28 records

28 records of the Herring name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 8
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Augusta Herring

    Will proved in 1937; of Rhyl, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Herring

    Buried in 1791 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 55.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. Herring

    Royal Irish Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 28 records for Herring in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands15 records

15 records of the Herring name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 8
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch population registers 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Theodor Peter Herring

    Married in 1888 in Bergen; baker, born 1859 in Geldern.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Helen Herring

    Married in 1714 in Rotterdam; born in Borrowstownness.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 15 records for Herring in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Norway11 records

11 records of the Herring name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Ole Herring

    Census of 1910: Sjøgate, Mosjøen; farmhand, born 1890 in Vefsen.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anne Marie Herring

    Census of 1910: Aasen (plads), Vefsen; "jordmandskone", born 1874 in Vefsen.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 11 records for Herring in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Herring name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dorothy Herring

    Died 1972, aged 77; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alma Esther Herring

    Died 2000; ashes interred at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Herring in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Herring name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Josephine Herring

    Born 1897 in Rohrwiller; died 1982 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Herring in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Herring.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Herring is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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