Explore the Family Name Herold

The meaning of Herold

1. English (Middlesex): variant of Herald. 2. German and Dutch: from the ancient Germanic personal name Hari(o)wald (see Harold 1). This surname is also found in France (mainly Alsace). 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Herold ‘herald’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Herold in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Herold has seen a slight decrease in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 5577th in 2000, it dropped to 6028th in 2010, a decline of 8.09%. The count of individuals with this surname also slightly decreased by 0.17%, from 5715 to 5705. Additionally, the proportion of people named Herold per 100,000 people saw an 8.96% decline during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#5,577#6,028-8.09%
Count5,7155,705-0.17%
Proportion per 100k2.121.93-8.96%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Herold

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Herold has displayed some diversification over the decade, as derived from the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of holders of the Herold surname identified as White, although that number marginally decreased from 94.42% in 2000 to 92.85% in 2010. The Hispanic population with this surname increased by 42.78%, while those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black grew by 21.43% and 20.59% respectively. The percentage of individuals identifying as two or more races also rose from 1.12% to 1.40%. However, there was a small reduction in the American Indian and Alaskan Native population, which fell by 3.85%.

20002010Change
White94.42%92.85%-1.66%
Hispanic1.94%2.77%42.78%
Black1.7%2.05%20.59%
Two or More Races1.12%1.4%25%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.56%0.68%21.43%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.26%0.25%-3.85%

Herold ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Herold is French & German, which comprises 39.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (29.8%) and Eastern European (8.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German39.0%
British & Irish29.8%
Eastern European8.3%
Other23.0%
Herold

Possible origins of the surname Herold

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Herold have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom70.40%
Lancashire, United Kingdom70.40%
Greater London, United Kingdom70.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom70.40%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom69.70%

What Herold haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Herold is R-P312, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P312 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include J-L283 and I-DF29, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schuman, Baier, Scholz, Schutt, Krohn, Henke, Hartwig, Gall, Hoppe, Alberts.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Herold surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

heroldPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Herold have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Herold

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Herold" Surname 48.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Herold

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Herold" Surname 24.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Herold

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Herold" Surname 13.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Herold

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Herold" Surname 16.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Herold?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Herold are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%