Show ContentsHerbert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Herbert comes ultimately from a Germanic personal (first) name, composed of the elements "hari," meaning "army" and "behrt," meaning "illustrious." Saint Haribert was the archbishop of Cologne circa. 1000, and versions of Herbert became a popular given name amongst the French nobility.

Early Origins of the Herbert family

The surname Herbert was first found in Normandy, where Herbert families were the Lords (seigneurs) of Plaigniere and of Beauvoir. This branch of the family came from England in the 15th century and were given these lands by King Richard of England. It it thought that other branches no doubt pre-dated the Herbert family that came from England.

Early History of the Herbert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herbert research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1604, 1627, 1666 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Herbert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herbert Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hebert, Harbert, Herbert, Herbot, Harbelot and others.

Early Notables of the Herbert family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Louis Hébert (d. 1627), the French pioneer who came to Quebec in 1604 and is generally considered to have been the first permanent settler in Canada. Francis Hébert (d. 1725), was a priest at Versailles, who...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herbert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herbert World Ranking

In the United States, the name Herbert is the 1,146th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Herbert is ranked the 1,945th most popular surname with an estimated 3,186 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Herbert is the 366th popular surname with an estimated 9,915 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Herbert as 304th with 2,006 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Herbert as 428th with 15,078 people. 5


United States Herbert migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Herbert Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Herbert, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630
  • Andries Herbert, who landed in New York in 1642-1643 6
  • Thomas Herbert, who settled in Virginia in 1651
  • Sylvester Herbert, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1652 6
  • Clemence Herbert, who landed in Virginia in 1657 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Herbert Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Herbert, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1717 6
  • Henry Herbert, who arrived in Georgia in 1732 6
  • Michael Herbert, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 6
Herbert Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jeremiah Herbert, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1832 6
  • Bonifacius Herbert, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 6
  • Walter Herbert, aged 36, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1838 6
  • John Herbert, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 6
  • Christina Herbert, aged 21, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1848 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Herbert Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Jesse Ernest Herbert, who arrived in California in 1905 6

Canada Herbert migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Herbert Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Robert Herbert, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Herbert Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Herbert, aged 73, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1817

Australia Herbert migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Herbert Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. John Herbert, (b. 1760), aged 27, English farmer who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Charlotte" on 13th May 1787, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1832 7
Herbert Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Herbert, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. William Herbert, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for coining, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • Mr. Edward Herbert, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • John Herbert, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Emma" in 1837 11
  • Matilda Herbert, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Emma" in 1837 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Herbert migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Herbert Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Herbert, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • George Herbert, aged 26, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Catherine Stewart Forbes" in 1841
  • Elizabeth Herbert, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Catherine Stewart Forbes" in 1841
  • Joseph Herbert, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship London
  • Joseph Herbert, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Herbert migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12
Herbert Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Herbert, who settled in Barbados in 1671
  • William Herbert and his wife Elizabeth settled in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Herbert (post 1700) +

  • Victor Herbert (1859-1924), Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, best remembered for his operetta The Fortune Teller
  • Walter James "Herbie" Herbert II (1948-2021), American music manager and musician from Berkeley, California, best known for his work with Santana and Journey
  • Charles Herbert (1948-2015), born Charles Herbert Saperstein, an American child actor who appeared in 20 Hollywood features, perhaps best known for his roles in 13 Ghosts (1960), The Fly (1958), Houseboat (1958) and The Boy and the Pirates (1960)
  • Frank Herbert (1920-1986), American critically acclaimed science fiction author best known for the novel "Dune"
  • Thomas James Herbert (1894-1974), American politician, 56th Governor of Ohio
  • Caleb Claiborne Herbert (1814-1867), American politician, Member of Texas State Senate, 1857-59; Representative from Texas in the Confederate Congress, 1862-65 13
  • C. S. Herbert, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 1912 13
  • Bea Herbert, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 51st District, 1992 13
  • Anthony Herbert, American politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 20th District, 2004 13
  • Allen J. Herbert, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Rules Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 13
  • ... (Another 59 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. William Herbert, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 14
Halifax Explosion
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Sidney J Herbert (b. 1894), English Captain (E) serving for the Royal Navy from Ashtead, Surrey, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • Pamela Elaine Herbert (1969-1988), American Student from Battle Creek, Michigan, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 17
RMS Lusitania
  • Mrs. Florence Herbert, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from London, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 18


Suggested Readings for the name Herbert +

  • Herbert in England & Virginia, 1399-1900s by Alice Granberry Walter.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  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 of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charlotte
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY EMMA 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837LadyEmma.htm
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  14. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  15. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  16. 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
  17. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
  18. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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