Show ContentsHerod History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Herod Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Early Origins of the Herod family

The surname Herod was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute.

The name in Anglo-Saxon, signifies "the love of the army," From Har, an army, and hold, love. 1 Hence the name is often referred to as "powerful warrior." 2

Further to the south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Agnes Harald, Oxfordshire; John Harald, Wiltshire; Reginald Haralt, Oxfordshire; and Roger Harold, Buckinghamshire. 3

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls included: Robertus Harald; and Stephen Harald as holding lands there at that time. 3

Early History of the Herod family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herod research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1626, 1685, 1799, 1825, 1834, 1851, 1881, 1883 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Herod History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herod Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Harold, Harald, Harrell, Hirrell, Hurrell and others.

Early Notables of the Herod family

Francis Harold, O.F.M. (died 1685), an Irish Franciscan and historical writer. He was a native of Limerick, and member of the Franciscan order, to which his uncle, Luke Wadding, was the historiographer. Harold acted for a time as professor of theology...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herod Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herod Ranking

the United States, the name Herod is the 8,193rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Herod family to Ireland

Some of the Herod family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herod migration to the United States +



Herod Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • L Herod, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1860 6
  • William Herod, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1860 6

Herod migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. John Herod, (d. 1792), British settler convicted in Nottinghamshire, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 5
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Herod Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Herod (post 1700) +

  • William Wirt Herod (1835-1906), American politician, Candidate for Indiana State Senate, 1866; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana, 1872; Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1879; Candidate for Mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana, 1891 8
  • William Herod (1801-1871), American politician, Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1829-31, 1844-45; Member of Indiana State Senate, 1831-33, 1848-51; U.S. Representative from Indiana 6th District, 1837-39; Presidential Elector for Indiana, 1840 9
  • C. W. Herod, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1916 9
  • Captain Gary L. Herod DFC (1929-1961), Texas Air National Guard pilot who after engine failure, remained with the plane to ensure that it did not crash into the suburban homes of Houston neighborhoods
  • William Herod (1801-1871), American Congressional Representative from Indiana
  • Dennis Herod (1923-2009), English former footballer
  • Colonel Donald Herod Peterson (1923-2018), United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut with over 5 days in space 9
HMS Hood
  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  6. 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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Donald Peterson. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/peterson-dh.html
  10. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm

Houseofnames.com on Facebook