Hernani, officially the Municipality of Hernani (; ), is a municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 8,296 people.
It was formerly called Nag-as, after the name of the river flowing southeast of the town center.
Hernani was founded around the year 1850 by a settler from Guiuan named Miguel Candido. Hernani, was created into a municipality by virtue of a Royal Order on January 4, 1864.
On October 12, 1897, giant tidal waves struck Hernani. More than 300 people were killed, and public buildings and houses were destroyed, including the newlyâÂÂbuilt stone church. Following the disaster, the survivors relocated the town center to a more secure place about oneâÂÂhalf kilometer inland. This site is now the present location.
Immediately following the Philippine-American War, the political status of Hernani was reduced into a barrio under the jurisdiction of Lanang (now Llorente). In 1912, its status as a municipality was restored but the seat of local government was transferred to Pambujan (now General MacArthur). However, in 1926, the municipality of Hernani regained back the township by virtue of an Executive Order issued by then American GovernmentâÂÂGeneral Leonard Wood.
Hernani is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Four barangays, located in the poblacion, are known primarily by number.
The population of Hernani in the 2024 census was 8,296 people, with a density of .