Herschel

Herschel is a German surname with the possible meanings:

• sorghum or millet (German Hirse) for someone working with such cereals^[1]
• deer (German Hirsch) for a hunter or as a sobriquet ("nimble like a deer")^[1][2]

The name is closely tied to the Herschel family, an Anglo-German family of renowned astronomers:

• Sir William Herschel (1738–1822), astronomer and composer, discoverer of Uranus
• Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750–1848), astronomer and singer, sister of Sir William Herschel
• John Frederick William Herschel (1792–1871), mathematician and astronomer, son of Sir William Herschel
• Alexander Stewart Herschel (1836–1907), astronomer, grandson of Sir William Herschel
• William James Herschel (1833–1917), grandson of Sir William Herschel

Other notable people or families with the surname Herschel, Hershel, Herschell or Hershell include:

• Allan Herschell (1851–1927), creator of amusement park rides
• Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell (1837–1899), and hence the Baron Herschell line

Herschel can also be used as a first name:

• Herschell Gordon Lewis (born 1929), a U.S. filmmaker, dubbed the Godfather of Gore
• Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer
• B. Herschel Babbage South Australian explorer, son of Charles Babbage
• Herschel Krustofski, fictional character from The Simpsons, better known as "Krusty The Clown".
• Herschel Walker, American football player

Herschel could also refer to a place:

• Herschel, South Africa, town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
• The planet Uranus, for a time known as Herschel after its discoverer Sir William Herschel
• Herschel (crater), various craters in the solar system named after William Herschel
  • Herschel (Martian crater)
  • C. Herschel (crater)
  • Herschel (lunar crater)
  • Herschel (Mimantean crater)
  • J. Herschel (crater)
• Herschel Island
• Herschel, Saskatchewan

Herschel may also refer to:

• Herschel Girls School, a private day and boarding school for girls in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa
• Herschel Space Observatory, ESA's far infrared space telescope
• William Herschel Telescope, Ground-based telescope on La Palma
• Herschel Museum of Astronomy
• Herschel Greer Stadium

See also

• Hersch
• Hirsch (disambiguation)
• Hirsh (disambiguation)
• Herzl (disambiguation)
• Hertz

Sources

1. ^ ^{a b} Gottwald deutsche Namenskunde, Verlag de Gruyter, ISBN 978-3-11-018032-9
2. ^ Duden Familiennamen, ISBN 3-411-70852-2