Updated June 9, 2019

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Family name origins & meanings

  • English and French : from a pet form (with the suffix -ot) of the medieval personal name Herry, Harry (a variant of Henry).
  • Scottish : habitational name from a place, as for example Heriot to the south of Edinburgh, named with Middle English heriot, which denoted a piece of land restored to the feudal lord on the death of its tenant. The Middle English word is from Old English heregeatu, a compound of here ‘army’ + geatu ‘equipment’, referring originally to military equipment that was restored to the lord on the death of a vassal.
  • English : habitational name from Herriard in Hampshire, which may have been named as ‘army quarters’ (Old English here ‘army’ + geard ‘enclosure’), or possibly from the Celtic terms hyr ‘long’ + garth ‘ridge’.