Surnames Starting with H

Haak Dutch
Occupational name meaning "peddler" in Dutch.

Haakonsson Norwegian
Means "son of Håkon".

Haan Dutch
Variant of De Haan.

Haanraads Dutch
Originally indicated a person from Haanrade, a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Haanraadts Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Haanraats Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Haas Dutch, German
Variant of Hase.

Haase German
Variant of Hase.

Haber German, Jewish
Occupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Haberkorn German
Occupational name for a dealer in oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat" and korn "kernel, grain".

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.

Hackett English
From a diminutive of the medieval byname Hake, which was of Old Norse origin and meant "hook".

Hadaway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Haden English
From a place name derived from Old English hæþ "heath" and dun "hill".

Hadjiev m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиев (see Hadzhiev).

Hadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиева (see Hadzhieva).

Hadzhiev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian хаджия (hadzhiya) meaning "pilgrim", ultimately from Arabic حَجّ (ḥajj).

Hadzhieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Hadzhiev.

Hadžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hadž meaning "hajj, pilgrimage", ultimately derived from Arabic حَجّ (ḥajj). It originally denoted a person who had completed the hajj.

Haenraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Hafner German
Occupational name for a potter, derived from Old High German hafan "pot, vessel".

Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Haggard English
From a nickname meaning "wild, untamed, worn", from Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root.

Hagihara Japanese
From Japanese 萩 (hagi) meaning "bush clover" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Hagopian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Հակոբյան (see Hakobyan).

Hahn German
From a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German hano meaning "rooster, cock".

Haig English, Scottish
From Old English haga or Old Norse hagi meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Haight English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English heahþu "height, summit".

Hail English
From a nickname derived from Middle English hail meaning "healthy" (of Old Norse origin).

Hailey English
Variant of Haley.

Haines English
Variant of Haynes.

Hájek m Czech
Means "thicket" in Czech, a diminutive of háj "woods".

Hájková f Czech
Feminine form of Hájek.

Hajós Hungarian
Means "boatman, sailor" in Hungarian.

Håkansson Swedish
Means "son of Håkan".

Hakim Arabic
Derived from the given name Hakim.

Hakobyan Armenian
Means "son of Hakob" in Armenian.

Halász Hungarian
Means "fisherman" in Hungarian.

Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".

Haley English
From the name of an English town meaning "hay clearing", from Old English heg "hay" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Halle German
German variant of Hall.

Hallman Swedish
From Swedish hall (Old Norse hallr) meaning "rock, boulder, slab" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Halloran Irish
From Irish Ó hAllmhuráin meaning "descendant of Allmhurán". The given name Allmhurán means "stranger from across the sea".

Halmi Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian halom meaning "mound, small hill". Originally the name was given to someone who lived near or on a hill.

Halvorsen Norwegian
Means "son of Halvor".

Hamaguchi Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Hämäläinen Finnish
Derived from the region in southern Finland known as Häme, also called Tavastia.

Hamasaki Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Hambleton English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Hamm English
Means "river meadow" in Old English.

Hammond English
From the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

Hampton English
From the name of multiple towns in England, derived from Old English ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Han Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 韩 (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.

Hancock English
From a diminutive of the medieval name Hann.

Hanegan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hanigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hanley English
From various English place names meaning "high meadow" in Old English.

Hannigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hannigen Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hanraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Hansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Hans". This is the most common surname in Norway, and the third most common in Denmark.

Hanson English
Means "son of Hann".

Hanssen Norwegian
Means "son of Hans".

Hansson Swedish
Means "son of Hans".

Haraguchi Japanese
From Japanese 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Haralampiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Haralampi".

Haralampieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Haralampiev.

Haraldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Harald".

Haraldsson Swedish
Means "son of Harald".

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Hardie Scottish
Scots variant of Hardy.

Harding English
Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Hardwick English
From Old English heord "herd" and wic "village, town".

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.

Harel Jewish
Ornamental name adopted from a biblical place name meaning "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew.

Harford English
Habitational name from places called Harford in Gloucestershire and Devon, meaning "hart ford" or "army ford".

Hargrave English
Derived from Old English har meaning "grey" and graf "grove".

Harlan English
Variant of Harland.

Harland English
From various place names meaning "hare land" in Old English.

Harley English
Derived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Harlow English
Habitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill".

Harmaajärvi Finnish
Means "grey lake" in Finnish.

Harman English
From the given name Herman.

Harmon English
From the given name Herman.

Haroldson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Haraldsson.

Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

Harrell English
From the given name Harold.

Harrelson English
Means "son of Harold". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Woody Harrelson (1961-).

Harrington English
From the name of towns in England, meaning either "Hæfer's town" or "stony town" in Old English.

Harris English
Means "son of Harry".

Harrison English
Means "son of Harry".

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Hartell English
From various place names derived from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and hyll "hill".

Hartley English
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hartman Dutch, German
Dutch and Americanized form of Hartmann.

Hartmann German
From the German given name Hartmann.

Harutyunyan Armenian
Means "son of Harutyun" in Armenian.

Harvey English
From the Breton given name Haerviu (see Harvey).

Həsənov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Həsən".

Hasanov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Həsənov.

Həsənova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Həsənov.

Hasanova f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Həsənova.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

Hasegawa Japanese
From the Japanese place name 長谷 (Hase, not a standard reading) combined with 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Hašek m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Havel.

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Hashemi Persian
From the given name Hashem.

Hashiguchi Japanese
From Japanese 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Hashimoto Japanese
From Japanese 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Hašková f Czech
Feminine form of Hašek.

Hass German
From the given name Hasso.

Hassan Arabic, Persian, Urdu
From the given name Hassan.

Hathaway English
Habitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English hæþ "heath" and weg "way".

Hatheway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hathway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hauer German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.

Haumann German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop" and man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

Havel m Czech
Derived from the given name Havel.

Havelka m Czech
Means "son of Havel" in Czech.

Havelková f Czech
Feminine form of Havelka.

Havener German
Variant of Hafner.

Havlíček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Havel.

Havlíčková f Czech
Feminine form of Havlíček.

Havlová f Czech
Feminine form of Havel.

Havrylyuk Ukrainian
From a diminutive of the given name Havryil.

Haward English
Variant of Howard 1 or Hayward.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Hawking English
From a diminutive of Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).

Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.

Hawthorn English
Variant of Hawthorne.

Hawthorne English
Denoted 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.

Hayasaka Japanese
From Japanese 早 (haya) meaning "already, now" and 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope".

Hayashi Japanese
From Japanese 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

Hayden 1 English
From place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill".

Hayden 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hÉideáin or Ó hÉidín.

Hayes 1 English
From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).

Hayes 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAodha meaning "descendant of Aodh".

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Hayley English
Variant of Haley.

Haynes English
Patronymic derived from the Norman name Hagano.

Hayter English
Name for a person who lived on a hill, from Middle English heyt meaning "height".

Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

He Chinese
From 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 English
From 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.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Hearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Hébert French
Derived from the given name Herbert.

Hedley English
Variant of Headley.

Hedlund Swedish
From Swedish hed (Old Norse heiðr) meaning "heath, moor" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Heeren Dutch
From Dutch heer "lord, master", a nickname for a person who acted like a lord or who worked for a lord.

Heffernan Irish
From Irish Ó hIfearnáin meaning "descendant of Ifearnán". The byname Ifearnán means "little demon".

Hegedűs Hungarian
Means "fiddler" in Hungarian, from hegedű "violin".

Heidrich German
From the Old German given name Heidrich.

Heijman Dutch
Patronymic from a diminutive of the given name Hendrik.

Heijmans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Heikki Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Heikkilä Finnish
From the given name Heikki with the suffix -lä indicating a place.

Heikkinen Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Heiman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heimans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Heimisson Icelandic
Means "son of Heimir".

Heinonen Finnish
From the given name Heino.

Heinrich German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Heinrichs German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Heintze German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Heinz German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Hellström Swedish
From Swedish häll (Old Norse hallr), a type of flat rock, combined with ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Henderson Scottish, English
Means "son of Hendry".

Hendrickx Flemish
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendriks Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendrikx Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendrix Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).

Hendry Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Hennessy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAonghuis meaning "descendant of Aonghus".

Hennig German
From a diminutive of the given name Heinrich.

Henningsen Danish
Means "son of Henning".

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriksson Swedish
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Henry English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Henryson English
Means "son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).

Henson English
Means "son of Henne", a medieval diminutive of Henry.

Hepburn English, Scottish
From 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).

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

Herbert English, German, French
Derived from the male given name Herbert.

Herberts English, Dutch
Variant of Herbert.

Herbertson English
Means "son of Herbert".

Herbertsson Swedish
Swedish form of Herbertson.

Herceg Croatian
Croatian form of Herzog.

Herczeg Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herman English, Dutch
From the given name Herman.

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Herman".

Hermanson English
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansson Swedish
Means "son of Herman".

Hernández Spanish
Means "son of Hernando" in Spanish.

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Hernando Spanish
From the given name Hernando.

Herrema Frisian
Frisian variant of Heeren.

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.

Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.

Herrmann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive 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.

Hershey English
Originally denoted a person from Hercé in Normandy.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Hewitt English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

Heyman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heymans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Hibbert English
Derived from the given name Hilbert.

Hickey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÍcidhe meaning "descendant of the healer".

Hicks English
Derived from the medieval given name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard.

Hidaka Japanese
From Japanese 日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" and 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high".

Hidalgo Spanish
Means "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.

Hiedler German
From southern German Hiedl meaning "underground stream".

Hier Welsh
Means "tall, long" from Welsh hir.

Hierro Spanish
Spanish form of Ferro.

Higashi Japanese
From Japanese 東 (higashi) meaning "east".

Higgins Irish
From Irish Ó hUiginn meaning "descendant of Uiginn". Uiginn is a byname meaning "Viking".

Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.

Hildebrand German
From the given name Hildebrand.

Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.

Hillam English
From English places by this name, derived from Old English hyll meaning "hill".

Hilmarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Hilmar".

Hilton English
From 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.

Himura Japanese
From Japanese 緋 (hi) meaning "scarlet, dark red" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Hines Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hEidhin meaning "descendant of Eidhin", a given name or byname of unknown origin.

Hino Japanese
From Japanese 日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" or 火 (hi) meaning "fire" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Hinrichs Low German
Derived from the given name Hinrich.

Hintzen German
Means "son of Hintz", a diminutive of Heinrich.

Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".

Hirano Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Hirata Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Hirsch 1 German
Means "deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.

Hirsch 2 Jewish
Derived from the given name Hirsh.

Hirschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Hisakawa Japanese
From Japanese 久 (hisa) meaning "long time ago" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Hitler German
Variant 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.

Hjort Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish cognate of Hart.

Hlaváč m Czech
From a nickname for a person with an oddly-shaped head, derived from Czech hlava "head".

Hlaváček m Czech
Diminutive form of Hlaváč.

Hlaváčková f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváček.

Hlaváčová f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváč.

Ho Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Hokkien)
Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of He.

Hoàng Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Huang, from Sino-Vietnamese 黃 (hoàng).

Hobbes English
Derived from the medieval given name Hob. A famous bearer of this name was British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the author of Leviathan.

Hobbs English
Derived from the medieval given name Hob.

Hobson English
Means "son of Hob".

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

Hochberg German, Jewish
From place names meaning "high hill" in German.

Hodges English
Patronymic of Hodge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Hodgson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Hodson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Hodžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hodža meaning "master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.

Hoedemaeker Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaekers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch hoed "hat" and maker "maker".

Hoedemakers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoefler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hoek Dutch
From Dutch hoek meaning "corner".

Hoekstra Frisian
From Frisian hoek meaning "corner".

Hofer German
Occupational name for a farmer, from German Hof "farm", from Old High German hof "yard, court".

Hoffman German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Hoffmann.

Hoffmann German
From Middle High German hofmann meaning "farmer".

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hofmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).

Hofwegen Dutch
Variant of Van Hofwegen.

Hogan Irish
From Irish Ó hÓgáin meaning "descendant of Ógán". The given name Ógán is a diminutive of óg meaning "young".

Hogarth English
Variant of Hoggard.

Hoggard English
Occupational name meaning "pig herder", from Old English hogg "hog" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".

Holden English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and denu "valley".

Holgersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Holger".

Holgersson Swedish
Means "son of Holger".

Holguín Spanish
Possibly from Spanish holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".

Holland 1 English
From various English places of this name, derived from Old English hoh "point of land, heel" and land "land".

Holland 2 Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person from the Dutch province of Holland 1.

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Hollins English
Referred to someone living by a group of holly trees, from Old English holegn.

Holloway English
From the name of various English places, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and weg "path, way".

Holm Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Swedish, Danish and Norwegian holme, holm meaning "islet" (Old Norse holmr).

Holmberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and berg meaning "mountain".

Holme English, Scottish
Referred either to someone living by a small island (northern Middle English holm, from Old Norse holmr) or near a holly tree (Middle English holm, from Old English holegn).

Holmes English, Scottish
Variant of Holme. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.

Holmgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".