Heeren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Netherlands
• England

The name Heeren thought to be of Norman heritage. It is a name for a person who was a person who was long legged or of tall stature. The name Heeren is derived from the Old English word heiroun, which meant heron. As in this instance, nickname surnames often described strong traits or features of animals. In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demigods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans

Early Origins of the Heeren family

The surname Heeren was first found in Northumberland at Thornton, a township, in the parish of Norham, union of Berwick-upon-Tweed. "This place was the manor and residence of a family named Heron." ^[1]

"Sir John Hairun entered England with the Conqueror, and was possessed of Ford Castle, and a very good estate. There is a commune in the arrondissement of Rouen called Le Heron, but it does not appear whether this was the cradle of the race." ^[2]

And in the parish of Ford, Northumberland, another early family record was found. " On the western side of the village is Ford Castle, erected in 1287 by Sir William Heron, and rebuilt by the late Lord Delaval; two towers, the remains of the former castle, are retained in the present structure. The castle was demolished by the Scots in 1385." ^[1]

Further to the north in Scotland, "he old family of Heron in the Stewertry claim descent from the Herons of Chipchase who appear in Northumberland in the eleventh century. " ^[3]

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Ricardus Herun; Emma Herun; and Agnes Herun. ^[4]

Important Dates for the Heeren family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heeren research. Another 261 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1178, 1292, 1321, 1330, 1329, 1526, 1505, 1607, 1680, 1734, 1688, 1795, 1865 and are included under the topic Early Heeren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heeren Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Herron, Heron and others.

Early Notables of the Heeren family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Heeren Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heeren family to Ireland

Some of the Heeren family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heeren migration to the United States

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Heeren or a variant listed above were:

Heeren Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Ariane J Heeren, aged 17, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 ^[5]
• Berend Janssen Heeren, aged 15, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 ^[5]
• Enne Janssen Heeren, aged 12, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 ^[5]
• Harm Heeren, aged 4, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 ^[5]
• Heinrich Heeren, aged 2, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 ^[5]
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Heeren (post 1700)

• W. E. Heeren, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 5th District, 1897-98 ^[6]
• Ronald Lee Heeren, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1984; Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 73rd District, 2012 ^[6]

Citations

1. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
2. ^ Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
3. ^ Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
4. ^ Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
5. ^ 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)
6. ^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html