Heredia History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Heredia originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived from the Old Danish and Old Swedish name Erik and the Old Norse name Eiríkr. Many Scandinavian personal names were left in the British Isles as a legacy of the Viking raids which plagued the coastal regions of Britain from the 8th to 10th centuries, and many of these eventually became Anglo-Saxon surnames.

Early Origins of the Heredia family

The surname Heredia was first found in Leicestershire. The name was listed as Eiric, Eric, and Erish in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 John Eirich was the first listing of the family in Leicestershire in 1211. 2

"There is a tradition that the most ancient family of the Ericks derive lineage from Erick the Forester, a great commander, who raised an army to oppose the invasion of William the Conqueror, by whom he was vanquished, but afterwards employed to command that prince's forces, and in old age retired to his house in Leicestershire, where his family hath continued ever since." 3

Early History of the Heredia family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heredia research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1557, 1591, 1592, 1600, 1658, 1667, 1674, 1685, 1686, 1694, 1695 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Heredia History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heredia Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Heredia has appeared include Herrick, Herricke and others.

Early Notables of the Heredia family

Notables of the family at this time include Robert Herrick (1591-1674), and English poet, the fourth son of Nicholas Herrick, a goldsmith in Cheapside, by his wife Julian Stone who was baptised at the church of St. Vedast, Foster Lane, on 24 August 1591. He who wrote over 2,500 poems. His father, who came of an ancient Leicestershire family of Heyricks or Eyrickes, died in November 1592 of injuries caused by a fall from an upper window of his house. It was suspected that the fall was not accidental. 4Thomas Heyrick (d. 1694), English poet and divine, son of Thomas Heyrick...
Another 187 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heredia Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heredia Ranking

In the United States, the name Heredia is the 3,612^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Heredia family to Ireland

Some of the Heredia 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 Heredia family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Heredia arrived in North America very early: Jacob Herrick settled in New York in 1646; Henry Herrick settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630; Thomas Herrick settled in Virginia in 1636.

Contemporary Notables of the name Heredia (post 1700) +

Wilson Jermaine Heredia (b. 1971), American actor
Gilbert Heredia (b. 1965), former American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
Blanca "Blanquita" Heredia Osío (1934-2022), Venezuelan pageant titleholder who won Miss Venezuela 1956
Severiano de Heredia (1836-1901), French politician
Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia (b. 1942), Spanish politician
Fernando Martínez Heredia, Cuban Communist politician
Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia (1561-1627), Spanish monk, musician and composer
José Luis Sáenz de Heredia (1911-1992), Spanish film director
Carlos Olaf Heredia (b. 1957), Mexican football goalkeeper
Enrique Martínez Heredia (b. 1953), Spanish former road bicycle racer
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Heredia Motto +

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: Virtus omnia nobilitat
Motto Translation: Virtue ennobles all things.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/