2000
#2,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.05
Uncommon Last name
Herrington
Derived from a place name meaning "herring town" in Old English, referring to a settlement known for herring fishing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,566 Americans carry the last name Herrington. That puts it at #2,599 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrington surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Herrington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 22,019
Census rank
#2,599
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,574 bearers of the surname Herrington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2599th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrington
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Herrington bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Herrington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 11,162
- Black or African American10.2% · 1,381
- Two or more races3.7% · 508
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 387
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrington
Herrington appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,498
+870 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#2,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,574
-924 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.54
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,434 | 13,628 | 5.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,491 | 14,498 | 4.91 | +870 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #2,599 | 13,574 | 4.54 | -924 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 108 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Herrington surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,491 | #2,599 | -4.3% |
| Count | 14,498 | 13,574 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.91 | 4.54 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrington bearers went from 14,498 to 13,574 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,491 to #2,599.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Herrington
FAQ
Herrington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrington?
Name Census estimates that about 15,566 living Americans carry the surname Herrington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,019 residents.
How common is Herrington?
Herrington ranks #2,599 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,574 people with the surname Herrington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Herrington.
Has Herrington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrington went from 14,498 recorded bearers to 13,574. That is a decrease of 924 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,491 to #2,599.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Herrington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (11,162 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Herrington (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Herrington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "herring town" in Old English, referring to a settlement known for herring fishing. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Herrington (4.54 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Herrington?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.