Herpin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The name Herpin is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a person who played the harp deriving its origin from the Old French harpin, a person who played the harp. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been a patronymic name as in 'the son of Harpin,' probably from Harfinn. 2

Early Origins of the Herpin family

The surname Herpin was first found in Norfolk, where Thomas Harpyn was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 2

William Harepin was a Knights Templar in 1185 and Harpin (with no forename) was listed in Yorkshire in 1231. 1

Adam Harpin was faulconer to Bishop Swinfield in 1289-90 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Henricus Harpyn; Magota Harpyn; and Johanna Harpyn. 2

Early History of the Herpin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herpin research. Another 39 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1289, 1379, 1686 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Herpin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herpin 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 Herpin family name include Harpin, Herpin, Harpyn, Arpin, Harpen, Herpen and others.

Early Notables of the Herpin family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herpin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herpin Ranking

In France, the name Herpin is the 2,269^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,834 people with that name. 3

Herpin migration to the United States +

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. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Herpin or a variant listed above:

Herpin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Herpin, who went to Alabama in 1858
James Herpin, aged 28, who arrived in Alabama in 1858 4
Jacob Herpin, who landed in St Clair County, III in 1860 4
Jacob Herpin, who settled in Illinois in 1860
Henry and Joseph Herpin traveled to Illinois in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Herpin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Herpin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Herpin, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Madeleine Vallée, daughter of Thomas and Renée, in Quebec on 3rd October 1669 5
Mery Herpin, son of Pierre Herpin and Catherine Mireau, married Marie Coulon-Mabrian, daughter of Aufray and Françoise Tierce at Saint-Ours in 1689

Herpin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Herpin, son of Méry and Marie, who married Marguerite Truchon, daughter of Louis and Marie-Françoise, in Saint-Ours, Quebec on 17th February 1721 5
René Herpin married Thérèse Boudreau, daughter of Jean and Françoise Bazinet at Contrecoeur, Quebec in 1740
Jean-Pierre Herpin, son of Jean-Baptiste and Agnès, who married Angélique Tibaut, daughter of Nicolas and Thérèse, in Saint-Denis, Quebec on 13th June 1745 5
Antoine Herpin, son of Pierre and Marguerite, who married Brigitte Coderre, daughter of Louis and Élisabeth, in Contrecoeur, Quebec on 13th November 1747 5

Herpin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Pierre Herpin married Catherine Mireau of Saint-Hilaire of Poitiers, Poitou, France

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.