Herriman was established in 1851 by Henry Harriman, Thomas Jefferson Butterfield, John Jay Stocking, and Robert Cowan Petty. A fort was established where the community garden is today. The only remnants of Fort Herriman are the two black locust trees that stand where the entrance to the fort once was. The Fort was abandoned in 1857 as the Johnston Army came West.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.3 square miles (52.5 km²), all of it land. The city frequently annexes new areas to the west and east of its borders. The newest annexation was in 2018 when part of Kennecott Copper Mine's land was annexed in to make way for technology centers.

Herriman shares borders with Riverton to the east, South Jordan to the north, and Bluffdale to the southeast.

Herriman has had an incredible amount of growth in the last few years because of the availability of land and its prime location between Utah and Salt Lake Counties. Herriman's elected officials have come under criticism for allowing lots of high density housing.

Herriman is home to the Zions Bank Real Academy, a soccer complex that serves as the training facilities for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. The complex includes Zions Bank Stadium, a 5,000-seat stadium for USL affiliate Real Monarchs and the Utah Warriors of Major League Rugby.