Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Hawley English, ScottishMeans "hedged meadow". It comes from the English word
haw, meaning "hedge", and Saxon word
leg, meaning "meadow". The first name
Hawley has the same meaning.
Haworth EnglishLiterally means "enclosure with a hedge," from the Old English words
haga +
worth. Hawtrey English (British)It is the surname of Mr. Hawtrey from the book The Boy In The Dress, by David Walliams. Hawtrey means "To succeed".
Hay English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, FrisianScottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English
hay(e),
heye(Old English
(ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term
haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin)... [
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Hayami JapaneseFrom Japanese 速 (
haya) meaning "fast", 逸 (
haya) meaning "deviate" or 早 (
haya) meaning "early"; combined with 水 (
mi) meaning "water" or 見 (
mi) meaning "see".
Hayano JapaneseHaya can mean "swift" or "hawk" and no means "field, plain".
Hayase JapaneseHaya can mean "hawk" or "fast" and se means "ripple, current".
Hayase JapaneseFrom Japanese 早
(haya) meaning "already, now" and 瀬
(se) meaning "rapids, current".
Haycock EnglishEnglish (West Midlands): from a medieval personal name, a pet form of
Hay, formed with the Middle English hypocoristic suffix -cok (see
Cocke).
Haydn GermanMeaning "heathen". Famous bearer is Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).
Hayford EnglishEnglish habitational name from several places called Heyford in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, or Hayford in Buckfastleigh, Devon, all named with Old English
heg ‘hay’ +
ford ‘ford’.
Hayling EnglishEither (i) "person from Hayling", Hampshire ("settlement of Hægel's people"); or (ii) from the Old Welsh personal name
Heilyn, literally "cup-bearer" (see also
Palin).
Haylock EnglishEnglish surname of uncertain origin, possibly from the Old English given name
Hægluc, a diminutive of the unrecorded name *
Hægel, found in various place names... [
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Haythornthwaite English (British)Derived from the Old English word
haguthorn, which means "hawthorn". Originated in the township of Hawthorn, parish of Easington, County Durham circa 1155.
Hayton Englishhabitational name from any of various places called
Hayton such as those in Cumberland East Yorkshire Nottinghamshire and Shropshire named with Old English
heg "hay" and
tun "farmstead estate".
Hayworth EnglishEnglish: habitational name from Haywards Heath in Sussex, which was named in Old English as ‘enclosure with a hedge’, from hege ‘hedge’ + worð ‘enclosure’. The modern form, with its affix, arose much later on (Mills gives an example from 1544).
Hazar TurkishTurkish / Muslim last name meaning "nightingale".
Hazard English, French, DutchNickname for an inveterate gambler or a brave or foolhardy man prepared to run risks, from Middle English, Old French
hasard, Middle Dutch
hasaert (derived from Old French) "game of chance", later used metaphorically of other uncertain enterprises... [
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Hazarika Indian, AssameseFrom a military title used during the Ahom Kingdom that indicated an official who commanded over 1,000 soldiers. The title itself is derived from Assamese হাজাৰ
(hazar) meaning "thousand".
Hazelden EnglishMeans "person from Hazelden", the name of various places in England ("valley growing with hazel trees").
Hazeltine EnglishThis unusual surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname from any of the various places that get their name from the Olde English pre 7th century “hoesel”, hazel and “-denut”, a valley, for example Heselden in Durham and, Hasselden in Sussex.
Hazelton EnglishHazel is referring to hazel trees, while ton is from old english tun meaning enclosure, so an enclosure of hazel trees, or an orchard of hazel trees.
Hazelwood EnglishHabitational name from any of various places, for example in Devon, Derbyshire, Suffolk, Surrey, and West Yorkshire, so called from Old English hæsel (or Old Norse hesli) ‘hazel (tree)’ + wudu ‘wood’; or a topographic name from this term.
Hazlett English (British)Topographic name for someone who lived by a hazel copse, Old English hæslett (a derivative of hæsel ‘hazel’). habitational name from Hazelhead or Hazlehead in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, derived from Old English hæsel ‘hazel’ + heafod ‘head’, here in the sense of ‘hill’; also a topographic name of similar etymological origin.
Hazra Indian, BengaliPossibly from the name of a location near Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Headlee English (Rare)The Anglo-Saxon name Headlee comes from when the family resided in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Headley in Hampshire is the oldest. The surname Headlee belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
Healey EnglishHabitational surname for a person from Healey near Manchester, derived from Old English
heah "high" +
leah "wood", "clearing". There are various other places in northern England, such as Northumberland and Yorkshire, with the same name and etymology, and they may also have contributed to the surname.
Healy IrishSouthern Irish: reduced form of
O’Healy, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÉilidhe ‘descendant of the claimant’, from éilidhe ‘claimant’, or of Gaelic Ó hÉalaighthe ‘descendant of Éaladhach’, a personal name probably from ealadhach ‘ingenious’.
Heaphy IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Ó hÉamhthaigh meaning "descendant of Éamhthach", the given name
Éamhthach meaning "swift" in Gaelic.
Heard EnglishOccupational name for a tender of animals, normally a cowherd or shepherd, from Middle English
herde (Old English
hi(e)rde).
Heathcote EnglishEnglish habitational name from any of various places called Heathcote, for example in Derbyshire and Warwickshire, from Old English
h?ð ‘heathland’, ‘heather’ +
cot ‘cottage’, ‘dwelling’.
Heather EnglishTopographic name, a variant of
Heath with the addition of the habitational suffix
-er. This surname is widespread in southern England, and also well established in Ireland.
Hebel German1 German: metonymic occupational name for a baker, from Middle High German hebel ‘yeast’.... [
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Heber GermanOccupational name for a carrier (someone who loaded or transported goods), from an agent derivative of Middle High German
heben "to lift".
Hebiyama Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 蛇 (
hebi) meaning "snake; serpent" and 山 (
yama) meaning "mountain", referring to a mountain with many snakes.
Hecht German, DutchFrom Middle High German
hech(e)t, Middle Dutch
heect,
hecht "pike", generally a nickname for a rapacious and greedy person. In some instances it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a fisher and in others it may be a habitational name from a house distinguished by a sign depicting this fish.
Hedberg SwedishCombination of Swedish
hed "heath, moor" and
berg "mountain".
Heddle EnglishFamous bearer is William Heddle Nash (1894-1961), the English lyric tenor.
Hedén SwedishCombination of Swedish
hed "heath, moor" and the common surname suffix
-én.
Hedge EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived by a hedge, Middle English
hegg(e). In the early Middle Ages, hedges were not merely dividers between fields, but had an important defensive function when planted around a settlement or enclosure.
Hedin SwedishCombination of Swedish
hed "heath, moor" and the common surname suffix
-in.
Hedström SwedishCombination of Swedish
hed "heath, moor" and
ström "stream, river".
Hee Danish, Norwegian, DutchA Danish habitational name from any of several places named from a word meaning ‘shining’ or ‘clear’, referencing a river.... [
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Heemskerk DutchFrom the name of a small town in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It means "home church" in Dutch. Famous bearers of this surname include Jan Heemskerk (1818-1897) and his son Theo Heemskerk (1852-1932), both of whom were Dutch prime ministers... [
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Heenan Old IrishThought to be a nickname or metonymic, and to owe its derivation from the early Gaelic word
ean meaning a "bird". The derivation is from the ancient name
O'hEeanchain, which loosely translates as The descendant of the son of the Bird.
Hefler GermanDerived from the Old German and German word hof, which means settlement, farm or court.
Hegadush HungarianMeaning violin maker and violin player deriving from the Hungarian work for violin.
Hegde KannadaHegde means the Headman of the village. Hegde or Heggade Pergade is a surname from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kasargod district of Kerala and Karnataka in India. It is found amongst Hindus of the Bunt community, Jain bunt community, Havyaka Brahmins, Vokkaligas in Karnataka.... [
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Hegeman DutchHabitational name for someone from a place called Hegge(n) or ter Hegge(n), derived from a word meaning ‘hedge’.
Heid German, JewishTopographic name from Middle High German heide, German Heide ‘heath’, ‘moor’. Compare Heath.... [
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Heidenreich GermanFrom the medieval personal name Heidenrich, ostensibly composed of the elements heiden 'heathen', 'infidel' (see Heiden 2) + ric 'power', 'rule', but probably in fact a variant by folk etymology of Heidrich.
Heider GermanCombination of German
Heide "heath, headland" and the suffix
-er denoting an inhabitant. The surname can be either topographic for someone living on or near a heath, or habitational for someone from any place named with the element
Heide.
Heifetz JewishAn invented Jewish name based on Hebrew
chefets "pleasure". Lithuanian-born US violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) was a known bearer.
Heil GermanMost recognisably known for meaning ‘Salvation’, it was also one used as an indication of a doctor or healer.
Heiland GermanSouth German: from Middle High German
heilant ‘savior’, ‘Christ’, presumably either a name given to someone who had played the part of Christ in a mystery play or an occupational name for a healer, from Middle High German
heilen ‘to heal’, ‘save’.
Heimburg GermanGerman for "home". Originates in the German village of Heimburg (not to be confused with
Hamburg) and the nearby castle of the same name.
Heimburger German, JewishStatus name for a village head, derived from Middle High German
heim meaning "homestead, settlement" and
bürge meaning "guardian". It could also be a habitational name for someone from numerous places called
Heimburg or
Heimberg in Germany.
Heimlich GermanNickname for a secretive person from Middle High German heimelich German heimlich "confidential secret".
Heinamaa EstonianHeinamaa is an Estonian surname meaning "hayfield" (literally, "hay land").
Heinbokel German(Hein) is a short form of the name
Heinrich, (the German form of the name Henry) & Bokel is a place name in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein & North Rhine-Westphalia.
Heisenberg GermanMade up of German words
heis and
berg, ultimately meaning “hot mountain.” This was the name of theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg and the alias of Walter White in Breaking Bad.
Heitmeyer GermanGerman: distinguishing nickname for a farmer whose land included heathland, from Middle Low German heide ‘heath’, ‘wasteland’ +
Meyer.
Hekel Low GermanDerives from the Middle Low German word "ha-ke," Dutch "haak," which means "a hook."
Helander SwedishThe first element is
Hel-, which is probably derived from place names ultimately derived from Swedish
helig "holy, sacred, blessed" or the male given name
Helge... [
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Helber GermanOccupational name for a thresher, from Middle High German helwe 'chaff' + the agent suffix -er; alternatively, it could be a habitational name from a place called Helba near Meiningen.
Helbling GermanMeaning "half penny" or a cheap /stingy man Know surname in Germany andSwitzerland. Helblings were French Huguenot
Held GermanThe German word for "hero", ultimately derived from Middle High German
helt.... [
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Helde EstonianHelde is an Estonian surname meaning "big-hearted".
Helder Dutch, German, Upper German, English1. Dutch and German: from a Germanic personal name
Halidher, composed of the elements
haliò “hero” +
hari,
heri “army”, or from another personal name,
Hildher, composed of the elements
hild “strife”, “battle” + the same second element... [
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Helfer GermanMetonymic occupational name for an assistant of some kind, or nickname for a helpful person, from Middle High German hëlfære, German Helfer 'helper', 'assistant'.
Helk EstonianHelk is an Estonian surname meaning "lustre" and "sparkle".
Helland NorwegianThe Old Norse name element
-land meaning "country, land" combined with either Old Norse
hella "flat rock" or
hellir "cave". ... [
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Hellat EstonianHellat is an Estonian surname derived from "hellalt", meaning "affectionately".
Hellbom SwedishFrom Swedish
häll, a type of flat rock, and
bom "barrier, boom".
Hellenbrand GermanDerived from germanic: hildtja = battle, brandt = sword, or prandt = burning wood/torch. Other view: Hilda is the Nordic Queen of the Underworld, Goddes of Death, so Sword/Torch of Hilda.... [
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Heller GermanNickname from the small medieval coin known as the häller or heller because it was first minted (in 1208) at the Swabian town of (Schwäbisch) Hall.
Helliste EstonianHelliste is an Estonian surname meaning "tender" and "affectionate".
Helliwell EnglishFrom various place names in United Kingdom. Derived from Olde English elements of "halig" meaning holy, and "waella", a spring.
Hellmich GermanDerived from a personal name composed of the Germanic elements
helm "helmet" and
wig "battle".
Hellwig German, DutchCuriously it started out life in ancient history as the baptismal name, Hell-wig. "luck" & "war;" this name literally translates to, "battle-battle."
Helmeyer German, Dutch, DanishFrom Hel in Norse mythology and Meyer meaning "higher, superior". It means ´blessed´ or ´holy´. The name is mostly found in Germany, but also in the Netherlands and some parts of Denmark.
Helmsley EnglishThis English habitational name originates with the North Yorkshire village of Helmsley, named with the Old English personal name
Helm and
leah, meaning 'clearing'.