Type Surname (from location)
Usage English
Pronounced Pron. HAW-thawrn  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Denoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English hagaþorn, from haga meaning "haw berry" and þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter.

Categories

Entry added November 16, 2019