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Heron History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Heron History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Many Irish surnames can be traced back to their Gaelic forms. The name Heron originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hEachthigheirn or Ó hEachthigheirna, made up of the words "each" meaning "steed," and "thighearna," meaning "lord." This was first Anglicized O'Hagherin, which was later changed to O'Aherne before the prefix was eventually dropped. 1

Early Origins of the Heron family

The surname Heron was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat as a Dalcassian sept from before the year 1000. However, with the disruptions of the Strongbow Invasion of 1172, they migrated southward to counties Cork and Waterford. In Waterford the name is predominantly Hearn and Hearne.

Early History of the Heron family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heron research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1566, 1754, 1769, 1797 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Heron History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heron Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached the general citizenry. Research into the name Heron revealed spelling variations, including O'Aherne, O'Ahern, Hearne, O'Heffron, Haveran, Hayveren and many more.

Early Notables of the Heron family

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

Heron Ranking

In the United States, the name Heron is the 7,833^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Heron is ranked the 1,953^rd most popular surname with an estimated 3,179 people with that name. 3

Heron migration to the United States +

Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of Heron:

Heron Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Heron, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Paul" 4

Heron Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ben j Heron, who arrived in North Carolina in 1770 4

Heron Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Heron, aged 22, who landed in Rhode Island in 1812 4
Alexander Heron, aged 33, who landed in Maryland in 1813 4
Matthew Heron, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1842 4
George Heron, who arrived in Arkansas in 1860 4
Patrick Heron, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1867 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heron Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Andrew Heron, aged 32, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1906
Albert Heron, aged 30, who landed in America from London, England, in 1907
Andrew Heron, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1907
Catherine Heron, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Upperlands, Ireland, in 1911
Annie Heron, aged 21, who landed in America from Cloonelly, Ireland, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heron migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Heron Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Andrew Heron U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1786 5

Heron Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Francis Heron, who landed in the Red River Settlement Canada in 1812
James Heron, who arrived in the Red River Settlement in Canada in 1812
James Heron, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1837
Miss. Mary Heron, aged 18 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Aberdeen" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In June 1847 6
Mr. Patrick Heron, aged 14 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In June 1847 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heron Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alexander Jones Heron, aged 28, who immigrated to Hamilton, Canada, in 1912

Heron migration to Australia +

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

Heron Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Heron, (Crowder), English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7

Heron Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Heron, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
James Heron, a shoemaker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Heron, a dyer, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. William Heron, (b. 1803), aged 30, English seaman who was convicted in Sussex, England for life for returning from transportation, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. William Heron, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heron 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:

Heron Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Heron, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 11
Mr. John Heron, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 11
Miss Mary Heron, (b. 1834), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 12
Mr. Robert Heron, (b. 1837), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 12
Mr. George Heron, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heron 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. 13

Heron Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Heron, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Heron (post 1700) +

Blake Heron (1982-2017), American screen actor, best known for his starring role as Marty Preston in the 1996 film Shiloh
John M. Heron, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Redding, 1828 15
James R. Heron (b. 1899), American Democratic Party politician, Speaker of the Arizona State House of Representatives, 1941-42 15
Gil-Scott Heron (b. 1949), American poet and civil rights activist
Patrick Heron (1952-2014), Irish author
Patrick Heron (1920-1999), Cornish abstract painter
Mike Heron (b. 1942), Scottish musician and composer
John Heron (b. 1928), English social scientist
Francis Heron (1853-1914), English footballer
Hubert Heron (1852-1914), English footballer

Historic Events for the Heron family +

Victoria steamboat disaster

Mary Ann Heron, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

The Heron 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: Per ardua surgo
Motto Translation: I rise through difficulties.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 33)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html