Herron Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Herron Family History

Herron Family History

The family history of the ancient name Herron was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Herron include Heron, Haran, Heran and MacElheron. Herron in Scotland is an old personal surname which was a nickname for a tall thin person resembling a heron. This name is found in many ancient manuscripts in Scotland. Examples of such are a Walterus de Hayroun who was clerk to William the Lion 1178-80, and Robert Heyron who was Parson of the Church of Forde in 1292.

Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by the method of creating and updating these old reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.

Settlers from Scotland brought the name into Ulster Province in Ireland, especially during the seventeenth century. The name in Ireland can also be derived from the Gaelic O'hEarai sept of County Armagh and is sometimes a variant of the name Ahearne, derived from the O'hEachthigheirn sept.The Herron family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Herron descendants.