Hersom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain were the first to use the name of Hersom. The name had a practical origin since it came from when its initial bearer worked as a guardian of cattle or sheep. The surname Hersom is derived from the Old English word hierde, which means herd, and the patronymic suffix -son. Thus, the name Hersom literally means "son of the herdsman." 1

Early Origins of the Hersom family

The surname Hersom was first found in Lancashire, on the west coast near Lythom-St. Annes, where they were associated with Furness Abbey. They were a prominent family here from very early times.

In Essex, Robert Herdesman was listed at Colchester in 1367. 2

Early History of the Hersom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hersom research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1621, 1649, 1651, 1660 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Hersom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hersom Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hersom include Herdson, Hirdson, Heardson, Hurdson, Herson and others.

Early Notables of the Hersom family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Herdson (fl. 1651), English writer on mnemonics, probably received part of his education at Cambridge, as he terms that university his 'dearest mother.' He styled himself professor of the art of memory by public authority in the University of Cambridge. Afterwards he taught his art in London at the...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hersom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hersom Ranking

In the United States, the name Hersom is the 18,182^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Hersom family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hersom or a variant listed above: Sarah Herson, who sailed to New York in 1820.

Contemporary Notables of the name Hersom (post 1700) +

Richard E. Hersom, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1926 4
Lyle E. Hersom, American Republican politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Northumberland, 1956; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1972 4

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html