Hern is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

meaning "mythical hunter". There are variants including the English '' Herne'' ("mythical hunter God"), associated with

Herne the Hunter In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. He is said to have antlers growing from his head, ride a horse, torment cattle, and rattle chains. The earliest m ...

. Hern is also common as a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, including the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

variant ''"A'hern"'' and the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

variant ''"O'Hern"''. Recorded alternative spellings include ''Harn'', ''Hearns'' , ''Hearn'', ''Hearne'' and ''Herne''. People with the name Hern include: *

Dick Hern William Richard Hern (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions. Following his early career ...

(1921–2002), British horse trainer *

Kevin Hern Kevin Ray Hern (born December 4, 1961) is an American businessman and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Republican, he is a member of the United States House of Representatives for . He was first elected in 2018. Hern was ranked number 7 i ...

(born 1961), American businessman and politician *

Riley Hern William Milton "Riley" Hern (December 5, 1878 – June 24, 1929) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He was the first professional goaltender to play on a Stanley Cup-winning team. Biography Hern began playing ice hockey at an earl ...

(1880–1929), Canadian ice hockey goaltender *

Tom Hern Thomas Hern (born 10 December 1984) is a New Zealand actor and independent film producer. He is known for producing NZ feature films ''The Dark Horse'', '' Everything We Loved'', and ''Pork Pie'' (a reboot of Kiwi classic ''Goodbye Pork Pie ...

(born 1984), New Zealand actor *

Warren Hern Warren Martin Hern, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. (born 1938) is an American physician best known for performing late terminations of pregnancy. In 1973, he founded Boulder Abortion Clinic in Boulder, Colorado. Hern was a founding member of the National Ab ...

(born 1938), American physician ;Variants *

Basia A'Hern Basia A'Hern is a former Australian film, television, and stage actress. On stage, Basia has played the role of Little Cosette in the Sydney leg of the 1997–1999 Les Misérables Australasian Tour. A'Hern made her television debut in 2001, gue ...

(born 1989), English-born Australian actor *

Nicholas A'Hern Nicholas "Nick" Mark A'Hern (born 6 January 1969 in Swansea, Wales) is a retired Australian race walker, who won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in both Victoria (1994) and Kuala Lumpur (1998). He represented his country at three Summer Oly ...

(born 1969), Australian race walker *

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...

(born 1951),

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

of Ireland from 1997-2008. *

Nick O'Hern Nicholas Simon O'Hern (born 18 October 1971) is an Australian professional golfer. O'Hern has played on both of the world's premier professional golf tours, the European Tour, and the United States-based PGA Tour. His biggest successes though, ...

(born 1971), Australian golfer

Other uses

* Hern is an archaic term for a

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

* The term has also become a synonym for "an American" (with the associated adjective "Hernian") among fans of ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...

'', following the Goons' habit of parodying American accents with repetitions of "hern" * The term was also used on television in the early 1960s by

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

, who was playing a visiting Martian in a skit and asked a passerby on the street if he "had change for a hern", the Martian unit of currency

References

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Other uses

See also

References