Heron () is a surname originating in 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, ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Origin

This name is believed to have more than one origin. In

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, it is most commonly derived as nickname for a tall, thin man with long legs from

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

heiroun/heyron itself coming from

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

hairon. It could also have designated a person who hunted birds, including herons. The surname may also be an habitual name; of

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

origin from Harome in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

origin from

Le Héron Le Héron () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography A small forestry and farming village situated at the confluence of the small Héron river with the Andelle, some east of Rouen ...

, near

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. In

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, this surname is often an Anglicised form of any one of three

Irish Gaelic Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...

names: "O'hEarain", descendant of the feared one; "O'Huidhrin", descendant of the swarthy one; or "Mac GiollaChiarain", son of the servant of St. Ciaran. The name Heron can also come from ''Ó Eachthighearna'', which means "descendant of the horse lord". An early recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Herun, which was dated 1150, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire". The name became prominent on the

Anglo-Scottish border The Anglo-Scottish border () is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for 96 miles (154 km) between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to ...

as a clan of

border reivers Border reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border ...

operating between the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Today, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

the surname is most commonly found in

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastl ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Notable people with the surname

Alastair Heron Alastair Heron (1915 – 17 March 2009) was a British psychologist and writer. A member of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, he wrote a number of books and pamphlets on Quakers in Britain. Quaker works Heron was a member of Balby ...

(1915–2009), British author *

Alexander Heron Alexander Macmillan Heron, BSc DSc FGS FRGS, FRSE (31 July 1884 – 1971), was a Scottish geologist who became Director of the Geological Survey of India. He participated in the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition following w ...

(1884–1971), Scottish geologist and Director of the Geological Survey of India * Alexander Heron Jr. (1818–1865), Irish-American businessman * Brian Heron (born 1948), Scottish footballer * Caroline Heron (born 1990), Scottish footballer *

Colin Heron Colin Hubert Heron (12 November 1924 – 19 March 2010) was a Jamaican first-class cricketer. Heron was born at Mandeville in Jamaica to Charles Hubert Heron and his wife, Leila Augusta Harty. He was educated in Mandeville at Manchester ...

(1924–2010), Jamaican cricketer * Craig Heron, Canadian historian *

Denis Caulfield Heron Denis Caulfield Heron LL.D QC (16 February 1824, Newry County Down – 15 April 1881, Lough Corrib, County Galway) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who was Catholic Liberal MP for Tipperary, and a senior legal adviser to the English Crown. He ...

(1824–1881), Irish lawyer and politician *

Eddie Heron James Edward Heron (28November 191023April 1985) was an Irish high diving and springboard diving champion. He won the British Diving Championship in 1932 and represented Ireland at the 1948 Olympic Games. Early life Eddie Heron was born in the ...

(1910–1985), Irish high diving and springboard diving champion *

Edward Thomas Heron Edward Thomas "E.T." Heron (18 April 1867 – 1949) was a pioneering English film enthusiast who published The Kinematograph Weekly. An industrialist and printing entrepreneur, he established a number of technical and trade journals. A freemas ...

(1867–1949), English industrialist and printing entrepreneur *

Francis Heron Charles Francis William Heron (1853 – 23 October 1914) was an English footballer who made one appearance as a forward for England and was a member of the Wanderers side that won the FA Cup in 1876. Playing career Heron, the younger brothe ...

(1853–1914), English footballer * Francis Arthur Heron (1864–1940), English entomologist * Frederick Heron (1944–2010), American NFL footballer *

George Heron George D. Heron (February 22, 1919 – May 26, 2011) was president of the Seneca Nation of Indians (Seneca Nation of New York) from 1958 to 1960 and again from 1962 to 1964. In addition to his cultural and community work, he is known as a leader o ...

(1919–2011), President of the Seneca Nation of Indians *

Gil Heron Gilbert Saint Elmo Heron (9 April 1922 – 27 November 2008) was a Jamaican professional footballer. He was the first black player to play for Scottish club Celtic and was the father of poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron. Career Born Gilbert Her ...

(1922–2008), Jamaican footballer *

Gilbert Heron Gilbert Heron sometimes as Gilbert Haron (6 September 1854 – 18 March 1876) was a Scottish international rugby union player. He played as a forward. He played for Glasgow Academicals, one of the top teams in Scotland at the time. He wa ...

(1854–1876), Scottish rugby player *

Giles Heron Giles Heron (by 1504 – August 1540) was an English politician. He was born in Hackney, Middlesex the son of the wealthy landowner and courtier Sir John Heron. While he was a minor, his father died in 1521 and Heron came under the wardship of S ...

(1504–1540), English politician * Haly Heron (1550–1591), English essayist and soldier * Henry Heron, English soldier * Henry Heron (1675–1730), British politician * Hilary Heron (1923–1977), Irish sculptor * Hillary Heron (born 2004), Panamanian gymnast *

Hubert Heron George Hubert Hugh Heron (30 January 1852 – 5 June 1914) was an English footballer who made five appearances as a forward for England in the 1870s and won three FA Cup winners' medals. Playing career Heron was born in Uxbridge, west London a ...

(1852–1914), English footballer * Jack Heron (1926–2012), American basketball coach *

Jacob Heron Jacob Heron (born 10 December 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Heron was raised in Cairns, Queensland and attended St August ...

(born 1999), Australian rules footballer * Jim Heron (1940–2023), Canadian politician * Sir John Heron (1470–1522), English courtier during reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII *

John Heron (social scientist) John Heron (24 September 1928 – 2022) was a pioneer in the creation of a participatory research method in the social sciences, called co-operative inquiry. This was based on his work in 1968–69 on the phenomenology of social encounter, and whi ...

(1928–2022), social scientist *Sir Joseph Heron (1809–1889), English lawyer and municipal administrator *

Joyce Heron Elizabeth Joyce Heron (6 November 1916 – 1 April 1980) was a British stage, film and television actress. She was a West End stage star from 1937, and was married to the actor Ralph Michael. Filmography * ''Premiere'' (1938) - Dancer * ''Wom ...

(1916–1980), English actress *

Julia Heron Julia Heron (November 21, 1897 – April 9, 1977) was an American set decorator. She won an Academy Award and was nominated for four more in the category Best Art Direction. She worked on more than 100 films between 1930 and 1968. Selected ...

(1897–1977), American set decorator *

Justin Herron Justin Herron (born November 27, 1995) is an American football offensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wake Forest. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixt ...

(born 1995), American football player * Keith Heron (1890–1975), Australian rules footballer * Louis Héron (1746–1796), French revolutionary * Martin Heron, Northern Ireland sculptor *

Martin Wilkes Heron Martin Wilkes Heron (July 4, 1850 – April 17, 1920) was an Irish American bartender, saloon-keeper, and liquor manufacturer best known for creating the liqueur known as Southern Comfort. He is often credited as being the "original mixologist" l ...

(1850–1920), bartender and creator of Southern Comfort * Mary Heron (fl. 1786–1792), English writer *

Mary Dorothea Heron (Mary) Dorothea Heron (19 August 1896 9 October 1960), was the first woman to be admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland. Biography Mary Dorothea Heron was born in County Dublin on 19 August 1896. Her father, James Heron, was the county ...

(c. 1897 – 1960), first woman to be admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland *

Matilda Heron Matilda Agnes Heron (1 December 1830 – 7 March 1877) was an Irish-American actress and playwright best known for her role in the play ''Camille'', which she translated and adapted from the French play ''La Dame aux Camélias''. Early life ...

(1830–1877), popular Irish-American actress *

Meredith Heron Meredith Heron is a designer and television personality who lives and works in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Meredith has appeared as a host designer on Home and Garden Television's Love by Design and Design Match, and as a guest on House & Home. Most ...

, Canadian interior designer *

Mike Heron James Michael Heron (born 27 December 1942) is a Scotland, Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the Incredible String Band in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Heron was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and at ...

(born 1942), Scottish musician and composer *

Mustapha Heron Mustapha Jahhad Heron (born December 12, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Manawatu Jets of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers and the St. John's Red ...

(born 1997), American basketball player * Oscar Heron (1896–1933), Irish fighter pilot *

Patrick Heron Patrick Heron (30 January 1920 – 20 March 1999) was a British abstract and figurative artist, critic, writer, and polemicist, who lived in Zennor, Cornwall. Heron was recognised as one of the leading painters of his generation. Influenced b ...

(1736–1803), Scottish politician and banker, MP for Kirkcudbright Stewartry 1795–1803 *

(died 1761), Scottish politician, MP for Kirkcudbright Stewartry 1727–41 *

(1920–1999), St Ives, Cornwall, painter * Paula Heron, Canadian-American physicist * Percy Heron (1892–1950), Australian rules footballer * Sir Richard Heron, 1st Baronet (1726–1805), Chief Secretary for Ireland * Robert Heron (1764–1807), Scottish writer *

Sir Robert Heron, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Heron, 2nd Baronet (27 November 1765 – 29 May 1854) was a British Whig politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1812 to 1847, with a break in 1818–1819. Early life He was born in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, the son of ...

(1765–1854), British Whig politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Great Grimsby 1812–18 and Peterborough 1819–47 *

Samuel Dalziel Heron Samuel Dalziel Heron (18 May 1891 – 10 July 1963) was a British born aerospace engineer who made major contributions to the design of piston engines. While working in Britain he carried out the first systematic research into air-cooled cylinde ...

(S.D. Heron) (1893–1965), aerospace engineer *

Susanna Heron Susanna Heron (born 1949) hon FRIBA is a British site-specific artist recognised for her work in stone relief. Her best known works include ''Stone Drawing'' for St John's College, Oxford, completed in 2019, and ''Henslow's Walk'' at Sainsbury L ...

(born 1949), British artist who works primarily between drawing, sculpture, scale and movement *

Thomas Heron Thomas John Heron (14 August 1879 – 30 October 1928) was an Australian trade unionist and politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1920 until his death, representing the seat of Mount Leo ...

(1879–1928), Australian trade unionist and politician * Wallace Heron (1924–1990), New Zealand pole vaulter *

Edward Heron-Allen Edward Heron-Allen FRS (born ''Edward Heron Allen'') (17 December 1861 – 28 March 1943) was an English polymath, writer, scientist and Persian scholar who translated the works of Omar Khayyam. Life Heron-Allen was born in London, the younge ...

(1861–1943), English writer, scientist and Persian scholar *

John Heron-Maxwell John Maxwell Heron-Maxwell (5 September 1836 – 26 January 1899) was a Scottish Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885. Heron-Maxwell was the son of Rev Michael Heron-Maxwell of Heron and Kirroughtree, an ...

(1836–1899), Scottish Liberal politician *

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

(1949–2011), American poet and civil rights activist

References

{{reflist, 2 English-language surnames Surnames of English origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames