Herrington
A habitational surname from places called Herrington, most likely meaning “Haring’s town” or settlement.
The #2,491 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,296 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Herrington is a habitational surname taken from one or more places called Herrington, especially the Durham locality. The name is usually explained as meaning “the town or settlement of Haring,” with Haring treated as an early personal name. In that analysis, the final element is Old English -tun, meaning “farm, village, or estate.”
History
English surname books record Herrington as a place-based name and point to Herrington in Durham as an important source. Like many locational surnames, it would have been adopted by people who moved away from the place and were identified by their origin. The spelling also appears historically as Herington or Herington-like forms, reflecting the instability of medieval and early modern spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
There are at least two Herrington townships in County Durham, which helps explain why the surname developed there more than once.
From the historical record
“found inland also. It is quite certain, too, from such local names as Harrington, Herrington, Her- ringham, Herringshaw, Herrings- well, and Herringstone, that the personal title was of v^iy early”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)