Herr
A German surname from a word meaning “lord” or “master.”
The #2,990 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,772 Americans shares it.
Etymology
German Herr means “sir,” “lord,” or “master,” and the surname is most likely a nickname or status-name taken from that title. It ultimately goes back to the same old Germanic word family seen in English here/army-related compounds and in other Germanic forms for “warrior” or “host.” In surname use, it would originally have marked someone as a respected man, a master, or simply a person called “Herr.”
History
This is a straightforward German surname, and it also survives as a common German honorific before a man’s surname. English-language surname dictionaries of the 19th century noted the form plainly as German in origin. In the United States it is relatively uncommon and is usually associated with German ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same German word Herr is still used today in phrases like Herr Müller, much like “Mr. Müller” in English.
From the historical record
“HERON. (Welsh.) A hero. HERR. (German.) Sire, lord, master. HERRIOK. The same as Erick or Erricks (which see). HERRING-. Hirring, a town in the Diocese of Alburg, Den- mark. HERSEY. Local. From Herseaux, in the Netherlands. HEYDEN. Local. From a town in Westphalia, also a town of the same name in South Jutland…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names