Show ContentsHermanson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hermanson

What does the name Hermanson mean?

The name Hermanson is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from Herman or Hermannus. 1 The names are really the same; it was a common practice for scribes to record a given name in the Latin style, where us is the masculine suffix. The personal name meant warrior having derived from the Old French word hermant, or from the Old German words hariman or hereman, all of which meant "warrior." 1

This name came to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest in 1066. However, not all of the family moved to England as Ralph, William, Richard and Hugh Herman were all listed in Normandy in 1180. 2

Early Origins of the Hermanson family

The surname Hermanson was first found in Norfolk where Willelmus Harmannus, who was listed in 1208 in the St. Benet of Holme (1020-1240), and is generally considered to be the first record of the name. Another branch was found in Sussex where William de Hermer was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Sussex in 1207. Simone Haremere was listed in the Subsidy Rolls in Sussex in 1296, and later, William Harmere was listed in 1428. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings using older spellings: Nicholas Herman in Suffolk; and Cecilia Hereman in Huntingdonshire.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Thomas Herman and Ricardus Harman as residing there at that time. 3

Haremere Hall near Etchingham, East Sussex was home to this branch since the 12th century. By the 1600's the hall had fallen from their hands and was held by James Temple, one of the judges at the trial of King Charles I. Today it is now a Grade I listed Jacobean building and is still held in private hands.

Early History of the Hermanson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hermanson research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1101, 1440, 1480, 1535, 1547, 1549, 1567, 1621, 1640, 1646 and 1673 are included under the topic Early Hermanson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hermanson Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hermanson has undergone many spelling variations, including Harman, Harmon, Harriman, Herman, Hernon, Hermanson, Harnum and many more.

Early Notables of the Hermanson family

Distinguished members of the family include William Horman (c. 1440-1535), headmaster at Eton and Winchester, best known for his Latin grammar textbook the Vulgaria. He was born at Salisbury, and educated partly at Winchester. 4Thomas Harman (fl. 1567), was an English writer on beggars, grandson of Henry Harman, clerk of the crown under Henry VII, who obtained about 1480 the estates of Ellam and Maystreet in Kent. Thomas's father, William Harman, added to these estates the manor of Mayton or Maxton in the same county. As his father's heir, Thomas inherited all this...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hermanson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hermanson Ranking

In the United States, the name Hermanson is the 11,372nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Hermanson family to Ireland

Some of the Hermanson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hermanson migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hermanson were among those contributors:

Hermanson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Herman Hermanson, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1842 6
Hermanson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Anton Hermanson, aged 32, who arrived in Amsterdam in 1919 aboard the ship "Sylfid" from Rosario Amsterdam 7
  • John Hermanson, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1919 from Ponce, Puerto Rico 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Hermanson (post 1700) +

  • June Hermanson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Montana, 1996, 2000 8
  • Bev Hermanson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1996 8
  • Phil Hermanson (b. 1965), American politician, Member of the Kansas House of Representatives (2009-)
  • Dustin Michael Hermanson (b. 1972), American former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played from 1995 to 2006
  • Herman Peter Albert Hermanson (1881-1960), Swedish-born Canadian farmer and provincial politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Canora, Saskatchewan (1917-1925)
  • Elwin Norris Hermanson (b. 1952), Canadian politician, the first full-time leader of the Saskatchewan Party


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  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. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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