| ![Show Contents]() Hern History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Many Irish surnames can be traced back to their Gaelic forms. The name Hern originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hEachthigheirn or Ó hEachthigheirna, made up of the words "each" meaning "steed," and "thighearna," meaning "lord." This was first Anglicized O'Hagherin, which was later changed to O'Aherne before the prefix was eventually dropped. 1 Early Origins of the Hern familyThe surname Hern was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat as a Dalcassian sept from before the year 1000. However, with the disruptions of the Strongbow Invasion of 1172, they migrated southward to counties Cork and Waterford. In Waterford the name is predominantly Hearn and Hearne. Early History of the Hern familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hern research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1566, 1754, 1769, 1797 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Hern History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hern Spelling VariationsOne explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Hern were found in the many archives researched. These included O'Aherne, O'Ahern, Hearne, O'Heffron, Haveran, Hayveren and many more. Early Notables of the Hern familyMore information is included under the topic Early Hern Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hern RankingIn the United States, the name Hern is the 11,215th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
 Hern migration to the United States | + |
A great wave of Irish migration occurred during the 19th century as a direct result of English colonial rule and tight-fisted absentee landlords. Many of these Irish immigrants boarded passenger ships bound for North America. Those who migrated early enough were given land in either British North America or the United States; those who came in the late 19th century were typically employed in industrial centers as laborers. At whatever age they undertook the dangerous passage to North America, those Irish immigrants were essential to the speedy development of the two infant nations to which they arrived, whether they broke and settled land, helped build canals, bridges, and railroads, or produced products for consumer consumption. An examination of immigration and passenger lists has uncovered a large number of immigrants bearing the name Hern or one of its variants:
Hern Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- David Hern, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 3
Hern Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Hern, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1815 3
- William Hern, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1830 3
- Bridt Hern, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1854 3
- Bartholomew Hern, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1872 3
| Hern migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Hern Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Morris Hern, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
| Hern migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Hern Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. James Hern, British Convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia 4
| Contemporary Notables of the name Hern (post 1700) | + |
- Pepe Hern (1927-2009), stage name of José "Pepe" Hernández Bethencourt, an American actor who played supporting roles in nearly 50 films, brother of actor Tom Hernández
- Warren Martin Hern M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. (b. 1938), American physician, known for performing late-term abortions, founding member of the National Abortion Federation
- Matt Hern (b. 1968), Canadian community organizer, writer and activist
- William Milton "Riley" Hern (1880-1929), Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played from 1898 to 1911
- Tom Hern (b. 1984), New Zealand multiple award winning actor and film producer, known for The Tribe (1999), Power Rangers DinoThunder (2004) and Revelations (2002)
- William Richard "Dick" Hern CVO (1921-2002), English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, his horses won sixteen British Classic Races from 1962 to 1995, he was Champion Trainer on four occasions
- Nick Hern, British founder of Nick Hern Books, a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays in 1988
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Per ardua surgo
Motto Translation: I rise through difficulties.
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
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Hern migration to the United States 
Hern migration to Canada 
Hern migration to Australia 
England
Ireland
