Herd
A surname from the word for a herdsman or livestock keeper, often shortened from older compounds like cowherd or shepherd.
The #6,982 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 64,282 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Herd comes from Old English hierde, meaning “herdsman,” “guardian,” or “keeper of livestock.” In Middle English, the word survived as herd and was used both on its own and in compounds such as cowherd and shepherd. The surname can therefore be a shortened occupational name for someone who tended animals.
History
Medieval records show many surnames built from this element, and Bardsley notes that Herd also survives as a standalone surname form alongside Hird and Heard. The name is especially familiar in northern English records, where occupational bynames were often formed directly from everyday jobs. It has also sometimes been discussed as part of larger surnames such as Oxenherd or Cowherd.
Origin
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Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old word behind Herd also lives on in historical compounds like cowherd, shepherd, and oxenherd.
From the historical record
“nose, a neck of land] NOTHARD (Teut.)i i Neat-Herd [Q.N. naut = 0-E. nedt, cattle + O.N. hirlpi-r = O.E. hierde, herd(sn)an] Willelmus Nouthird. — Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)