Herrin
A surname that is most likely a shortened or variant form of Herring or a related medieval personal-name formation.
The #4,576 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,812 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical evidence points most strongly to Herrin as a spelling variant or reduced form connected with Herring, rather than a completely separate surname. One source treats it with Herring and explains that these forms can go back to a baptismal nickname built on an older personal name, while another notes possible links with German forms or with an Old English compound such as here-rinc, meaning something like "warrior" or "war counsellor." Because the records are brief and speculative, the safest reading is that Herrin is an English surname shaped by the same family of medieval personal names as Herring.
History
The name appears in English surname collections as a recorded variant alongside Herring, especially in London and other English records. Later etymologists also compared it with German names beginning Herr-, which may reflect either true continental influence or simply the similarity of forms. In modern use, Herrin survives as a relatively uncommon surname, with the strongest historical trail in English-language records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname scholars grouped Herrin directly with Herring, showing how fluid spelling and pronunciation could be in older records.
From the historical record
“Meiton : Si. Peter, Conihill, il. 48. Herrin, Kervyn ; v. Marvin. Meryett, Merriott.— Local, 'of Herriott.'a parish in co. Somer- set, in the union of Chard: v. Herritt.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances