Surname Herhalt - Meaning and Origin
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Herhalt: What does the surname Herhalt mean?
The last name Herhalt is a German surname which is derived from the words 'har,' meaning 'army,' and 'halt,' meaning 'prisoner.' The name is believed to have first been used as an occupational name for a prison guard or prison supervisor, implying that the first bearer of this name was responsible for overseeing the prisoners. This name is thought to have first emerged in the German-speaking region of Bavaria sometime in the late 1100’s and it’s believed to have been adopted by people who worked in prisons or other military roles. Over the years, descendants of the first person to bear the name Herhalt have spread to locations around the world. The name is unique and stands out, and it may be of interest to those researching German family history.
Order DNA origin analysisHerhalt: Where does the name Herhalt come from?
The last name Herhalt is most commonly found in Germany. The name is derived from Old German, where it means "army heroism." It was the name given to a father who was a soldier or a man of noble renown. Herhalt is also found in Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary.
The surname is most prominently found in the German state of Brandenburg. Here, the number of Herhalt families has been rising since the 18th century. This is likely due to the population growth in the region, as well as some of the Herhalt family migrating from other areas of Germany. By the end of the 20th century, the number of Herhalt families living in Brandenburg had increased to almost two thousand.
In the United States, the name Herhalt is considerably less common. There may only be a few dozen families with the last name living in the US at present, and most likely arrived from Germany in the 19th century or before. The name is the most common in Pennsylvania, which has the most sizable German population in the country.
Overall, the Herhalt surname is primarily found in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact numbers in each country but there are undoubtedly several hundred families in these areas. The number of Herhalt families living in the United States is likely much smaller, although still significant.
Variations of the surname Herhalt
The surname Herhalt is derived from the Germanic personal name Harihald, which is composed of the two elements hari - meaning 'army' or 'host', and hald - meaning 'rule'. The variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for Herhalt include Herhold, Herholdt, Harhalt, Herholden, Harhold, Herhalter, Hairhalt, Harhald, Hearhalt, Hirhalt, Harhault, Herhalz, Herhalde, Hertel, and Herold.
The British Anglicized version of the surname Herhalt is Harland, which is derived from the German name Herihald. The other similar surnames are Hertl, Herrholz, Hirhald, Heroldt, and Hirrholz. The German variant of Herhalt is Herhald, and its variants are Harhald, Harhaldo, Herald, Heraldt, Heraldus, Harhaldus, Hearhald, Herhaldus, Hearhaldus, Heerhaldus, and Herard.
The Swedish variant of Herhalt is Herhald, and its spelling variants include Herhals, Herhalsd, Hjerhald, Harhald, Hjerhaldt, Herhalsen, Hjerrhold, and Heraldson. In Dutch, Herhalt is also known as Herhald, and its variants include Harhald, Heerhald, Herhalden, Herold, and Hearhald.
In Portuguese, Herhalt becomes Haralt, which has numerous spelling variants such as Haraldo, Heraldo, Hearaldo, Haraldo, Heraldy, and Heraldo. In Italian, Herhalt is known as Erhaldi, and its variants include Erhald, Erhaldo, Erhalda, and Herhaldi.
The Polish variant of Herhalt is Herold and the variants include Herod, Harald, Heerold, Herodt, Fearhald, and Heraldy. In Czech, the surname Herhalt is known as Herhald, and the spelling variants include Hairhald, Hearhald, Herold, Harhald, and Herhaldy.
In Spain, the surname Herhalt is known as Herralde, and its spelling variants include Haralder, Herralder, Herralda, and Haralde.
In Hungary, Herhalt is known as Herhalti and its variants include Herholdi and Harhaldi. In Romania, the surname is known as Herhalt, and the variant is as Herhold. In Slovakia, the surname is known as Herhalt, and the variant is known as Herhald.
Famous people with the name Herhalt
- Paul Herhalt, German conductor
- Gerry Herhalt, Canadian botanist
- Colin Herhalt, British illustrator
- Jesse Herhalt, American racing driver
- Tom Herhalt, American football coach
- Harry Herhalt, Canadian sculptor
- Stan Herhalt, Czech-Austrian chemist
- Matthias Herhalt, Austrian baroque composer
- Freddy Herhalt, German-Swiss entrepreneur
- Christel Herhalt, Austrian swimmer
- Jakob Herhalt, German chess master
- Vincent Herhalt, Canadian author
- Nadine Herhalt, German photographer
- Kyle Herhalt, American neuroscientist
- Martin Herhalt, Austrian animal behavior researcher
- Michael Herhalt, German photographer
- Arnold Herhalt, Canadian archivist
- Udo Herhalt, German chemist
- André Herhalt, French artist
- Barbel Herhalt, German chemist