Herdehan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Herdehan family have grown. The name Herdehan was given to a member of the family who was a person with a tough character or perhaps for a person who would be strenuous and complete in their endeavors. The name is derived from the Old English words heard, which meant hard, and mann, which meant man. In keeping with this meaning, Hardiman was the first practical powered exoskeleton, by General Electric in 1965. There is another explanation for the origin of the name; it could be occupational, and be derived from the Old English heord, which meant herd, and could refer to the occupation of cowherd or shepherd. The records of the name found in Lancashire seem to follow this form. This makes this name a good example of an English polygenetic name; that is, a name with more than one origin taken on by unrelated groups of people. And yet another source claims the name was a nickname for "a man of courage and bravery." 1

Early Origins of the Herdehan family

The surname Herdehan was first found in Yorkshire where by far the most early records of the name was found. In this case, the "surname is derived from an occupation as in 'the servant of Hardy'." 2 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Henricus Hardyman; Radulfus Hardyman and Ricardus Hardyman. "Every town in Yorkshire has one or two Hardmans in its directory, which is the settled modern form." 2

Early History of the Herdehan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herdehan research. Another 47 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1575 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Herdehan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herdehan Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Herdehan family name include Hardman, Hardeman, Hardyment, Hardymen, Hardiman and others.

Early Notables of the Herdehan family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herdehan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Herdehan family to Ireland

Some of the Herdehan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Herdehan family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Herdehan surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John Hardeman, who settled in Barbados in 1685; Edward Hardman arrived in Pennsylvania in 1698; Phillip Hardman arrived in Pennsylvania in 1772; Edward, John, Michael, Richard, Thomas and William Hardman all arrived in Philadelphia between 1820 and 1840..

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)