Hawking EnglishFrom a diminutive of
Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).
Hawthorne EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English
hagaþorn, from
haga meaning "enclosure, yard" and
þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of
The Scarlet Letter.
He ChineseFrom Chinese
何 (hé), representing a southern pronunciation of the name of the ancient state of Han (see
Han). After Han was destroyed by the state of Qin, those who resettled further south changed their name to this character in order to match the local pronunciation.
Head EnglishFrom Middle English
hed meaning
"head", from Old English
heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.
Heffernan IrishFrom Irish
Ó hIfearnáin meaning
"descendant of Ifearnán". The byname
Ifearnán means "little demon".
Henryson EnglishMeans
"son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).
Hepburn English, ScottishFrom northern English place names meaning
"high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Herschel German, JewishDiminutive form of
Hirsch 1 or
Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.
Hext EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.
Hickey IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó hÍcidhe meaning
"descendant of the healer".
Hidalgo SpanishMeans
"nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase
hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.
Higgins IrishFrom Irish
Ó hUiginn meaning
"descendant of Uiginn".
Uiginn is a byname meaning "Viking".
Hilton EnglishFrom various English place names derived from Old English
hyll "hill" and
tun "enclosure, town". Famous bearers of this name include the Hilton family of hotel heirs.
Hines IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó hEidhin meaning
"descendant of Eidhin", a given name or byname of unknown origin.
Hitler GermanVariant of
Hiedler. This was spelling used by Alois Hitler, the father of German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), when he adopted his stepfather Johann Georg Hiedler's surname.
Hobbes EnglishDerived from the medieval given name
Hob. A famous bearer of this name was British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the author of
Leviathan.
Hodžić BosnianFrom Bosnian
hodža meaning
"master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.
Hofmeister GermanMeans
"master of the household", from Old High German
hof "yard, court, house" and
meistar "master" (from Latin
magister).
Hogan IrishFrom Irish
Ó hÓgáin meaning
"descendant of Ógán". The given name
Ógán is a diminutive of
óg meaning "young".
Holland 1 EnglishFrom various English places of this name, derived from Old English
hoh "point of land, heel" and
land "land".
Hollins EnglishReferred to someone living by a group of holly trees, from Old English
holegn.
Holloway EnglishFrom the name of various English places, derived from Old English
hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and
weg "path, way".
Holmes English, ScottishVariant of
Holme. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.
Holst Danish, Low German, DutchOriginally referred to a person from the region of
Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Honeycutt EnglishDerived from the name of the English town of Hunnacott, derived from Old English
hunig "honey" or the given name
Huna combined with
cot "cottage".
Hood EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Old English
hod.
Hooker EnglishOriginally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English
hoc "angle, hook".
Horn English, German, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word
horn meaning
"horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.
Horowitz JewishFrom the German name of Hořovice, a town in the Czech Republic. Its name is derived from Czech
hora "mountain".
Horton EnglishFrom the names of various places in England, which are derived from Old English
horh "dirt, mud" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Horváth um Hungarian, SlovakHungarian and Slovak form of
Horvat. This is the second most common surname in Hungary and the most common surname in Slovakia (where is is typically borne by those of Hungarian ancestry).
Howe EnglishName for one who lived on a hill, from Middle English
how "hill" (of Norse origin).
Huber GermanOccupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German
huoba "plot of land, farm".
Huddleston EnglishFrom the name of a town in the Yorkshire region of England, which means "Hudel's town" in Old English.
Huff EnglishMeans
"spur of a hill", from Old English
hoh.
Hurst EnglishOriginally a name for a person who lived near a thicket of trees, from Old English
hyrst "thicket".
Huxley EnglishFrom the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English
leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be
hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).
Huxtable EnglishDerived from the name of an English place meaning "hook post", from Old English
hoc "hook" and
stapol "post".
Hyde EnglishFrom Middle English
hide, a unit of land, approximately the size necessary to support a household.
Ibsen DanishMeans
"son of Ib". A famous bearer was the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).
Iglesias SpanishFrom Spanish
iglesia meaning
"church", from Latin
ecclesia (of Greek origin).
Im KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
林 (im) meaning
"forest", making it the Korean form of
Lin, or
任 (im) of uncertain meaning, making it the Korean form of
Ren.
Ingersleben GermanFrom the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".
Ingham EnglishFrom the name of an English town, of Old English origin meaning "
Inga's homestead".
Ionesco RomanianVariant of
Ionescu. French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994), born
Ionescu, is a famous bearer of this surname.
Iordanou GreekFrom the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew
יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend" or "flow down".
Irvine 1 ScottishOriginally derived from the name of a Scottish (North Ayrshire) town, which was named for the River Irvine, derived from Brythonic elements meaning
"green water".
Iyer TamilReferred to a person belonging to the Iyer subcaste of the larger Brahmin caste. The Iyer subcaste is traditionally devoted to the God Vishnu.
Jackson EnglishMeans
"son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
Jagger EnglishFrom an English word meaning
"carter, peddler". A famous bearer is the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.
Jain Hindi, Marathi, GujaratiReferred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).
Järvinen FinnishDerived from Finnish
järvi meaning
"lake". It is one of the most common surnames in Finland.