NameCensus.

UK surname

Herring

An occupational surname referring to a fish seller or merchant, derived from the Old English word for the fish.

In the 1881 census there were 3,069 people recorded with the Herring surname, ranking it #1,462 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,453, ranked #1,970, down from #1,462 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Derbyshire, Doncaster and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Herring is 3,976 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.5%.

1881 census count

3,069

Ranked #1,462

Modern count

3,453

2016, ranked #1,970

Peak year

1911

3,976 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Herring had 3,069 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,462 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,453 in 2016, ranked #1,970.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,976 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Herring surname distribution map

The map shows where the Herring surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Herring surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Herring over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,206 #1,330
1861 historical 1,888 #1,535
1881 historical 3,069 #1,462
1891 historical 3,096 #1,520
1901 historical 3,689 #1,522
1911 historical 3,976 #1,284
1997 modern 3,437 #1,885
1998 modern 3,619 #1,866
1999 modern 3,659 #1,859
2000 modern 3,648 #1,858
2001 modern 3,569 #1,849
2002 modern 3,617 #1,871
2003 modern 3,530 #1,872
2004 modern 3,532 #1,871
2005 modern 3,446 #1,890
2006 modern 3,372 #1,931
2007 modern 3,380 #1,946
2008 modern 3,403 #1,950
2009 modern 3,494 #1,946
2010 modern 3,516 #1,980
2011 modern 3,488 #1,965
2012 modern 3,418 #1,970
2013 modern 3,482 #1,968
2014 modern 3,501 #1,971
2015 modern 3,442 #1,981
2016 modern 3,453 #1,970

Geography

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Where Herrings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Sheffield and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Derbyshire, Doncaster, Aylesbury Vale, North East Lincolnshire and Chesterfield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Derbyshire 014 North East Derbyshire
2 Doncaster 010 Doncaster
3 Aylesbury Vale 004 Aylesbury Vale
4 North East Lincolnshire 001 North East Lincolnshire
5 Chesterfield 003 Chesterfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Herring

These lists show first names that appear often with the Herring surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Herring

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Herring, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Herring surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Herring household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Herring is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Herring is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Herring falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Herring is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Herring, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Herring families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Herring surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 573 Herrings recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.91x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 573 1.91x
Yorkshire 301 1.01x
Surrey 251 1.72x
Durham 180 2.02x
Norfolk 180 3.91x
Nottinghamshire 129 3.19x
Kent 115 1.13x
Lincolnshire 109 2.28x
Lancashire 107 0.30x
Suffolk 107 2.93x
Berkshire 92 4.09x
Cornwall 90 2.65x
Wiltshire 82 3.10x
Devon 81 1.30x
Buckinghamshire 76 4.20x
Derbyshire 55 1.17x
Essex 53 0.90x
Warwickshire 52 0.69x
Somerset 39 0.81x
Oxfordshire 38 2.05x
Hampshire 36 0.59x
Herefordshire 36 2.93x
Leicestershire 28 0.84x
Cambridgeshire 24 1.26x
Northumberland 23 0.52x
Sussex 20 0.40x
Hertfordshire 19 0.92x
Brecknockshire 18 3.00x
Glamorgan 18 0.35x
Dorset 14 0.71x
Monmouthshire 14 0.65x
Northamptonshire 14 0.50x
Cumberland 13 0.50x
Radnorshire 12 4.96x
Bedfordshire 9 0.58x
Gloucestershire 9 0.15x
Worcestershire 8 0.20x
Cheshire 7 0.11x
Flintshire 7 0.87x
Staffordshire 6 0.06x
Westmorland 5 0.76x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.50x
Lanarkshire 3 0.03x
Royal Navy 3 0.84x
Cardiganshire 2 0.27x
Midlothian 2 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.21x
Shropshire 2 0.08x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.08x
Denbighshire 1 0.09x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.23x
Rutland 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 68 Herrings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.34x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 68 2.34x
Bishopwearmouth 65 8.50x
Camberwell 47 2.46x
Bethnal Green London 45 3.46x
Sheffield 44 4.66x
St Marylebone London 44 2.75x
Hackney London 43 2.56x
Chelsea London 42 4.65x
Shoreditch London 37 2.85x
Lambeth 36 1.38x
Stoke Damerel 33 7.56x
St Pancras London 29 1.20x
Leeds 27 1.61x
Bermondsey 24 2.69x
Marsh Gibbon 24 314.96x
St George Hanover Square 24 4.55x
Bredfield 23 519.19x
Lewisham 22 4.04x
Nacton 22 415.88x
Battersea 21 1.91x
Manchester 20 1.25x
Mile End Old Town London 20 3.14x
Paddington London 20 1.82x
Greasley 19 20.86x
Handsworth 19 24.21x
West Ham 19 1.46x
Lambourn 18 80.79x
St Luke London 18 3.75x
Eckington 17 14.92x
Hammersmith London 17 2.30x
Oldham 16 1.39x
Sedgeford 16 205.39x
Southwick 16 18.96x
Wokingham 15 29.23x
Brightside Bierlow 14 2.40x
Clapham 14 3.74x
Hunstanton 14 89.97x
Kensington London 14 0.84x
Melton Mowbray 14 23.44x
Reading St Giles 14 6.35x
Southwark St George Martyr 14 2.32x
St Dominick 14 164.51x
Swindon 14 6.81x
Wandsworth 14 4.85x
Arnold 13 22.06x
Aston 13 0.62x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 13 4.70x
Croydon 13 1.60x
Great Yarmouth 13 3.41x
Mansfield 13 9.30x
Ealing 12 4.48x
Gwennap 12 18.76x
Lowestoft 12 6.96x
Newbold Dunston 12 26.92x
Newington 12 1.08x
Plymouth St Andrew 12 2.50x
Thornham 12 179.10x
Bow London 11 2.88x
Bradford On Avon 11 12.97x
Chelmsford 11 10.84x
Ickford 11 288.71x
Redbourne 11 292.55x
St Anne Soho London 11 6.43x
Trowbridge 11 9.39x
West Derby 11 1.06x
Wisbech St Peter 11 11.56x
Bedwellty 10 2.62x
Burton Dassett 10 149.48x
Gateshead 10 1.50x
Kingston On Thames 10 2.85x
Manningham 10 2.73x
Nottingham St Mary 10 0.96x
Wantage 10 27.89x
Willingham 10 211.86x
Linkinhorne 9 38.09x
Llowes 9 289.39x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 3.38x
Rotherham 9 5.38x
Toynton All Sts 9 260.12x
Wells St Cuthbert In 9 122.12x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Herring surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 206
Elizabeth 113
Sarah 90
Jane 58
Emma 56
Ann 52
Eliza 52
Alice 48
Emily 44
Annie 40
Ellen 37
Hannah 32
Louisa 28
Martha 25
Edith 24
Harriet 24
Margaret 24
Florence 20
Kate 18
Charlotte 17
Caroline 16
Susan 16
Anne 14
Lucy 14
Rose 14
Catherine 13
Fanny 13
Maria 13
Ada 12
Amelia 12
Sophia 12
Frances 11
Harriett 11
Clara 10
Jessie 10
Rebecca 10
Agnes 9
Julia 8
Betsy 7
Helen 7
Isabella 7
Matilda 7
Susannah 7
Amy 6
Bessie 6
Gertrude 6
Rachel 6
Laura 5
Minnie 5
Rosa 5

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Herring surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 218
John 164
George 111
James 100
Thomas 86
Henry 70
Charles 61
Robert 48
Alfred 47
Arthur 35
Edward 32
Joseph 32
Richard 29
Albert 26
Frederick 23
Samuel 23
Walter 22
Herbert 19
David 14
Francis 14
Frank 13
Harry 13
Wm. 10
Benjamin 9
Isaac 9
Fredrick 8
Stephen 8
Edwin 7
Daniel 6
Christopher 5
Edmund 5
Ernest 5
Fred 5
Fred. 5
Fredk. 5
Rowland 5
Tom 5
Cornelius 4
Edgar 4
Mary 4
Ralph 4
Sidney 4
Abel 3
Abraham 3
Austin 3
Chas. 3
Earnest 3
Geo. 3
Harold 3
Wilfred 3

FAQ

Herring surname: questions and answers

How common was the Herring surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,069 people were recorded with the Herring surname. That placed it at #1,462 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Herring surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,453 in 2016. That gives Herring a modern rank of #1,970.

What does the Herring surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a fish seller or merchant, derived from the Old English word for the fish.

What does the Herring map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Herring bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.