Herritage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Herritage

What does the name Herritage mean?

The name Herritage has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who held or occupied land inherited by an ancestor instead of acquiring it by means of the Feudal System. The surname Herritage is derived from the Old English word heritage, which in turn comes from the Old French words eritage and heritage. These words are derived from the Late Latin word heritagium, which comes from the word heres, which means heir.

Early Origins of the Herritage family

The surname Herritage was first found in Oxfordshire, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Herritage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herritage research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1519 and 1558 are included under the topic Early Herritage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herritage Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Herritage have been found, including Herytage, Heritage, Eritage, Erytage and others.

Early Notables of the Herritage family

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

Herritage migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Herritage, or a variant listed above:

Herritage Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Herritage, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Herritage (post 1700) +

John Herritage, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Dobbs County, 1783-84; Member of North Carolina State Senate from Dobbs County, 1785-86, 1789 2

Sources +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html