Heard Surname
Approximately 41,963 people bear this surname
Heard Surname Definition:
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the herd,' i.e. the cattletender, found in compounds like Shepherd, Calvert (calve-herd), Coward, Oxenherd. Middle English herde, in Piers Plowman hurde. Heard is one of the instances among hundreds of the great imitative tendency in spelling surnames.
Read More About This SurnameHeard Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 29,278 | 1:12,380 | 1,534 |
| England | 5,651 | 1:9,860 | 1,453 |
| Australia | 3,752 | 1:7,195 | 1,060 |
| Canada | 1,397 | 1:26,375 | 3,524 |
| Wales | 449 | 1:6,892 | 774 |
| New Zealand | 308 | 1:14,702 | 2,578 |
| South Africa | 296 | 1:183,033 | 20,025 |
| France | 193 | 1:344,159 | 51,782 |
| Scotland | 138 | 1:38,796 | 3,683 |
| Egypt | 122 | 1:753,572 | 38,342 |
| Thailand | 37 | 1:1,909,144 | 231,790 |
| Northern Ireland | 31 | 1:59,517 | 4,663 |
| Malaysia | 28 | 1:1,053,365 | 46,873 |
| Germany | 20 | 1:4,025,273 | 167,743 |
| Ecuador | 19 | 1:837,150 | 13,424 |
| Jersey | 19 | 1:5,221 | 1,083 |
| Russia | 17 | 1:8,477,827 | 301,506 |
| Spain | 17 | 1:2,750,120 | 61,567 |
| Singapore | 17 | 1:323,983 | 13,856 |
| Ireland | 16 | 1:294,309 | 10,207 |
| Mexico | 15 | 1:8,275,080 | 36,578 |
| Isle of Man | 15 | 1:5,721 | 1,243 |
| Brazil | 10 | 1:21,407,433 | 350,627 |
| United Arab Emirates | 9 | 1:1,018,030 | 36,884 |
| Iran | 7 | 1:10,968,932 | 186,522 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 6 | 1:18,396 | 2,503 |
| Chile | 5 | 1:3,523,295 | 39,650 |
| Switzerland | 5 | 1:1,642,583 | 87,307 |
| Philippines | 5 | 1:20,247,645 | 262,352 |
| Georgia | 5 | 1:749,109 | 21,598 |
| China | 4 | 1:341,830,392 | 16,990 |
| Portugal | 4 | 1:2,604,560 | 16,079 |
| Uganda | 4 | 1:9,759,820 | 144,676 |
| Dominican Republic | 4 | 1:2,608,233 | 20,941 |
| India | 4 | 1:191,766,346 | 1,073,940 |
| Ghana | 4 | 1:6,755,173 | 15,406 |
| Iraq | 4 | 1:8,755,414 | 23,373 |
| Sweden | 3 | 1:3,282,252 | 190,759 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1:5,629,059 | 132,535 |
| Israel | 3 | 1:2,852,545 | 113,505 |
| Denmark | 2 | 1:2,822,358 | 76,882 |
| Taiwan | 2 | 1:11,722,373 | 63,559 |
| Italy | 2 | 1:30,578,344 | 160,757 |
| Venezuela | 2 | 1:15,102,038 | 69,873 |
| Belarus | 2 | 1:4,750,530 | 139,516 |
| Bahamas | 2 | 1:195,876 | 1,708 |
| Japan | 2 | 1:63,922,146 | 62,827 |
| Norway | 2 | 1:2,571,143 | 95,402 |
| Cyprus | 2 | 1:442,438 | 9,493 |
| Austria | 1 | 1:8,515,435 | 118,036 |
| American Samoa | 1 | 1:55,758 | 3,072 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 1:30,929,142 | 67,786 |
| Czechia | 1 | 1:10,633,469 | 206,023 |
| Afghanistan | 1 | 1:32,153,183 | 60,828 |
| Gibraltar | 1 | 1:33,954 | 1,660 |
| South Korea | 1 | 1:51,240,256 | 8,015 |
| Greece | 1 | 1:11,079,790 | 145,225 |
| Cayman Islands | 1 | 1:63,893 | 2,384 |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 1:7,335,483 | 16,643 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1:5,972,654 | 99,197 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 1:132,249,194 | 811,426 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 1:5,336,450 | 140,422 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1:3,550,139 | 9,109 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 1:2,869,947 | 13,896 |
| Poland | 1 | 1:38,008,749 | 231,653 |
| Panama | 1 | 1:3,912,258 | 17,195 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1:178,643,885 | 213,220 |
| Namibia | 1 | 1:2,409,401 | 19,676 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1:17,682,496 | 204,010 |
| Kuwait | 1 | 1:3,800,694 | 27,187 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 86 | 1:51,510 | 4,301 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2,932 | 1:8,314 | 1,264 |
| Wales | 137 | 1:11,448 | 690 |
| Scotland | 125 | 1:29,946 | 2,568 |
| Isle of Man | 1 | 1:54,269 | 2,077 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 4,175 | 1:12,028 | 1,556 |
The alternate forms: Héard (1) are calculated separately.
Heard (130) may also be a first name.
Heard Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the herd,' i.e. the cattletender, found in compounds like Shepherd, Calvert (calve-herd), Coward, Oxenherd. Middle English herde, in Piers Plowman hurde. Heard is one of the instances among hundreds of the great imitative tendency in spelling surnames.
Robert le Hirde, Suffolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.
Richard le Herde, Cambridgeshire, ibid.
David le Hyrde, Norfolk, ibid.
William le Hurde, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.
The entries are very common in the Yorkshire Poll Tax:
Alanus Hyrd, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.
Nicholans Hyrd, 1379: ibid.
Johannes Hird, 1379: ibid.
(English) 1 = Herd, q.v.
2 Hard, Brave, Stern [Old English heard]
“Herdsman” in Old English (Hierde). Also Herd and Hired.
(English) One who tended domestic animals, a herdsman.
Old English, herd, a herdsman or keeper of cattle.
Heard is an old Bideford name of the 16th and 17th centuries, still represented in that town and its neighbourhood. William Heard was a Bideford alderman in 1610, John Heard was mayor in 1619, and Walter Heard was mayor in 1627 (Wat.).
Heard Demographics
Heard Political Affiliation
in United States
United States
Average
Heard Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Heard Come From? nationality or country of origin
Heard is found in The United States more than any other country or territory. It may also appear in the variant forms: Héard. Click here for further possible spellings of Heard.
How Common Is The Last Name Heard? popularity and diffusion
The surname Heard is the 13,327th most commonly used family name globally. It is borne by approximately 1 in 173,666 people. The last name occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 70 percent of Heard are found; 70 percent are found in North America and 70 percent are found in Anglo-North America. It is also the 814,623rd most frequent first name internationally, borne by 130 people.
The surname is most commonly used in The United States, where it is carried by 29,278 people, or 1 in 12,380. In The United States Heard is mostly found in: Georgia, where 16 percent reside, Texas, where 12 percent reside and Alabama, where 7 percent reside. Outside of The United States this last name exists in 69 countries. It is also found in England, where 13 percent reside and Australia, where 9 percent reside.
Heard Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The prevalency of Heard has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Heard last name grew 701 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 193 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 328 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 110 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 81 percent between 1901 and 2014.
Heard Last Name Statistics demography
The religious adherence of those carrying the Heard surname is predominantly Anglican (88%) in Ireland.
In The United States Heard are 9.26% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 56.03% being registered with the party.
The amount Heard earn in different countries varies significantly. In South Africa they earn 16.4% more than the national average, earning R 276,612 per year; in United States they earn 13.06% less than the national average, earning $37,515 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7.07% more than the national average, earning $53,194 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
Search for Another Surname
Heard Reference & Research
Heard DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.
Howard FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.
Heard FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
Howard FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Heard
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis