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Re: Spade and/or Houck
in reply to a message by Anon.
Spade is also an English surname, rather rare probably.
It could be a variant of surnames like SPAIGHT or SPEIGHT.
If so the original meaning could be "woodpecker".
There also swedish SPADE, extremely rare in Sweden
In USA in some case Spade could also be a wrong spelling (or an americanization) of the italian surname SPADA. This surname means "sword" that is a producer or seller of weapons like swords.
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HOUCK is GERMAN. At the moment this surname is extremely rare in Germany. You can find it in DUSSELDORF or MANNHEIM.
Impossible to find out the original meaning.
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The name Houck used to exist in Holland as well but this old spelling has been replaced by 'Hoek'. Perhaps those German Houcks are of Dutch descent. The meaning of hoek is 'corner'. It is a locative surname and also a patronym based on a form of 'Hugo'.
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nfd/detail_naam.php?naam=Hoek
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