HeidelbergGerman, Jewish (Ashkenazi) Habitational name from any of the places called Heidelberg, of which the best-known example is in Bade.
HeidenreichGerman From 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.
HeiderGerman Combination 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.
HeierNorwegian A Norwegian habitational name from farmsteads in the Oslofjord region, meaning "heath moor". While primarily Norwegian, the surname "Heier" also has Dutch and German variants, which are considered variants of "Heyer".
HeilandGerman South 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’.
HeimburgGerman German for "home". Originates in the German village of Heimburg (not to be confused with Hamburg) and the nearby castle of the same name.
HeinbokelGerman (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.
HeisenbergGerman Made 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.
HelanderSwedish The 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... [more]
HelderDutch, German, Upper German, English 1. 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... [more]
HelferGerman Metonymic occupational name for an assistant of some kind, or nickname for a helpful person, from Middle High German hëlfære, German Helfer 'helper', 'assistant'.
HelgrindPopular Culture Helgrind is the surname of a King in the fictional series, "Mianite".
HellandNorwegian The Old Norse name element -land meaning "country, land" combined with either Old Norse hella "flat rock" or hellir "cave". ... [more]
HellbomSwedish From Swedish häll, a type of flat rock, and bom "barrier, boom".
HelleNorwegian From any of several toponyms derived from Old Norse hallr "rock, boulder, stone slab".
HellenbrandGerman Derived 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.... [more]
HellgrenSwedish Combination of Swedish häll "flat rock" and gren "branch".
HelliwellEnglish From various place names in United Kingdom. Derived from Olde English elements of "halig" meaning holy, and "waella", a spring.
HellmichGerman Derived from a personal name composed of the Germanic elements helm "helmet" and wig "battle".
HelmEnglish, Dutch, German from Old English helm "protection covering" (in later northern English dialects "cattle shelter barn"). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or habitational from a place so named such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire)... [more]
HelmreichGerman from the ancient Germanic personal name Helmrich composed of the elements helm "helmet" and rih "ruler, king".
HelmsleyEnglish This English habitational name originates with the North Yorkshire village of Helmsley, named with the Old English personal name Helm and leah, meaning 'clearing'.
HeloSyrian, Lebanese Helo is Americanized from the name Helou which means "sweet". Origin around year 1717 from El Helou. Tribal name from Helou Massive a mountain in the Syrian, later Lebanon country. Mentioned in the narratives of the first Crusade.
HelthonGothic "Unique" in Norse Mythology, German variant of Hilton
HeltonEnglish (American) Habitational name from Helton in Cumbria, named in Old English probably with helde "slope" and tun "farmstead, settlement", or possibly a variant of Hilton... [more]
HemingwayEnglish Probably from the name of an unidentified minor place near the village of Southowram in West Yorkshire, England, derived from the Old English given name Hemma combined with weg meaning "way, road, path"... [more]
HemmingsEnglish Derived from the given name Hemming. It is the last name of the band member of Five Seconds of Summer (5sos), Luke Hemmings.
HemsleyEnglish English: habitational name from either of two places in North Yorkshire called Helmsley. The names are of different etymologies: the one near Rievaulx Abbey is from the Old English personal name Helm + Old English leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’, whereas Upper Helmsley, near York, is from the Old English personal name Hemele + Old English eg ‘island’, and had the form Hemelsey till at least the 14th century
HenaresSpanish Derived from the Celtic form of "brave". Also is the name of many towns (Alcala de Henares, Espinosa de Henares, Tortola de Henares...) and a river
HenceGerman, English, Welsh An American spelling variant of Hentz derived from a German nickname for Hans or Heinrich or from an English habitation name found in Staffordshire or Shropshire and meaning "road or path" in Welsh.
HendaiaBasque (Rare) From the name of a commune (Hendaye in French) in southwestern France, of uncertain etymology. Possibly from Basque handi "big, large, great" and ibi "ford" or ibai "river", though this structure would not be grammatically correct... [more]
HendrawanChinese (Indonesian) Indonesianized form of Chinese surnames such as He (何) or Ye (葉). Surnames like these were instituted during the New Order era (1966–1998) in Indonesia due to social and political pressure toward Chinese Indonesians.
HenleyEnglish, Irish, German (Anglicized) English: habitational name from any of the various places so called. Most, for example those in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, are named with Old English héan (the weak dative case of heah ‘high’, originally used after a preposition and article) + Old English leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’... [more]
HennardFrench From the ancient Germanic personal name Haginhard composed of the elements hag "enclosure protected place" and hard "strong hardy".
HensleyEnglish Probably a habitational name from either of two places in Devon: Hensley in East Worlington, which is named with the Old English personal name Heahmund and Old English leah "(woodland) clearing", or Hensleigh in Tiverton, which is named from Old English hengest "stallion" (or the Old English personal name Hengest) and leah... [more]
HenvilleWelsh Derived from the name of an ancestor meaning "Son of Anwyl"
HenwoodEnglish Habitational name from any of various places so named, as for example Henwood in Cornwall, in Linkinhorne parish, which is named from Old English henn 'hen', 'wild bird' + wudu 'wood', or Hen Wood in Wootton, Oxfordshire
HenzaOkinawan (Rare) From Okinawan 平安座 (Henza) meaning "Henza", an island in the city of Uruma in the prefecture of Okinawa in Japan.
HeoKorean From Sino-Korean 許 (heo) meaning "to approve", making it the Korean form of Xu 2.
HerbarthGerman, Norman References Old Norse Deity "Odin" being one of the "Son's of Odin". Remember that the Geats became the Ostrogoths through the Denmark pass--referenced in Beowulf. Or, it means "Warrior of the Bearded One", perhaps a King... [more]
HerbolsheimerGerman Habitational name for someone from either of two places called Herbolzheim, in Baden and Bavaria.
HerbstGerman, Jewish Nickname from Middle High German herbest "harvest". The modern German word herbst has come to mean "fall" the time of year when the harvest takes place... [more]
HerdDutch Comes from Middle Dutch hert, herte ‘hart’, ‘stag’; probably a nickname for someone who was fleet of foot, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a deer; variant of Heard.
HerediaSpanish Habitational name from any of various places in Basque Country called Heredia, probably derived from Latin heredium meaning "hereditary estate".
HerfurthGerman Either a metonymic occupational name for a soldier from Middle High German hervart "campaign military expedition" (from Old High German heri "army" and vart "journey")... [more]
HeringhSlovak Heringh, no history known, people having these surnames in Slovakia belong to the same family, very untypical for this region - Slovakia in the middle of Europe.
HerlevDanish Derived from the suburb of Herlev in Denmark.
HerlihyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó hIarfhlatha "descendant of Iarfhlaith", a personal name meaning literally "lord of the west".
HermèsFrench Either a topographic name for someone who lived in a deserted spot or on a patch of waste land from Occitan erm "desert waste" (from Greek erēmia) and the topographic suffix -ès, or from the given name Hermès.
HerndonEnglish Habitational name from a lost or unidentified place, possibly derived from Old English hyrne "corner, angle, nook" and dun "hill, mountain". Alternatively, it could derive from an older form of the toponym Harrowden, composed of hearg "temple, altar, pile of stones" and dun "hill".
HeroldEnglish, Dutch, German From the given name Herold. This was the surname of David Herold, one of the conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination plot.
HerrickIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó hEirc "descendant of Erc", a byname meaning "speckled, spotted".
HerringGerman, English, Dutch, Scottish Occupational name for a fisherman, someone who caught or sold herring, or perhaps someone known for eating herring. It could have also been a nickname from the medieval phrase "to like neither herring nor barrel", meaning something of little value.
HerrmanGerman Herrman is of ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements heri meaning "army," and man meaning "man." Herrman was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.
HerschbachGerman From the name of two municipalities in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. A notable bearer is the American chemist Dudley R. Herschbach (1932-).
HertzelGerman The ancestral home of the Hertzel family is in the German province of Bavaria. Hertzel is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute... [more]
HervéFrench, Breton From the Breton given name Hervé or from the ancient Germanic personal name Hariwig, composed of the elements hari "army" and wig "battle"... [more]
HerzbergGerman, Jewish habitational name from any of numerous places called Herzberg. artificial compound name from German herz "heart" and berg "hill".
HerzfeldGerman Derived from the same name of a municipality in Bitburg-Prüm, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
HerzlGerman, Jewish Variant of Hertz. It was notably borne by the Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, writer and political activist Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), who is considered the founder of the modern Zionist movement.
HessGerman Habitational name from Hesse, a German state. It can also derive from the personal name Hesso, a short form of Matthäus, Hendrick, or a name containing the element hadu "battle, strife".
HessayEnglish From the name of a village in North Yorkshire, derived from Old English hæsel "hazel" and sæ "sea" or eg "water".
HesterEnglish This surname is derived from a given name, which is the Latin form of Esther.
HestonEnglish, Irish Derived from Heston, a suburban area in West London (historically in Middlesex), or Histon, a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. It is either named with Old English hǣs meaning "brushwood" and tūn meaning "farmstead, settlement, estate", or from hyse "shoot, tendril, son, youth" and tūn... [more]
HettGerman, Frisian From the personal name Hette, a short form of names containing the element hadu "strife, battle, combat".
HettiarachchiSinhalese From Sinhala හෙට්ටි (hetti) referring to the Chetty caste (primarily composed of merchants and traders) combined with the colonial-era title ආරච්චි (arachchi) used to denote a village headman or leader.
HettigeSinhalese From Sinhala හෙට්ටි (hetti) referring to the Chetty caste (primarily composed of merchants and traders) combined with the suffix -ගේ (-ge) meaning "of, home, house".
HeureauxFrench (Caribbean) Possibly from French heureux "happy, lucky, good". Ulises Heureaux (1845-1899) was the 22nd, 26th, and 27th president of the Dominican Republic
HeuserGerman Deriving from one of several places named Hausen.
HeuvelDutch Means "hill" in Dutch, the name of several locations.
HeviaAsturian This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Siero.
HewEnglish English: variant of the name Hugh. This was at one time the usual form of the personal name in Scotland. English: occupational name from Middle English hewe ‘domestic servant’
Hewa BatageSinhalese House of the Cavalry Warrior; Hewa meaning warrior, Bata - cavalry, ge - house
HewczakPolish Hewczak is primarily a Polish surname of the Ukrainian surname of Hewczuk.... [more]
HeyerGerman, Dutch Occupational name for a grower or reaper of grass for hay, from Middle High German höu "grass, hay" and the agent suffix -er. Could also be a variant spelling of Heier.
HeyerDutch From Middle Dutch heiger "heron", a nickname for someone with long legs. Alternatively, from a Germanic personal name composed of hag "enclosure, hedge" and heri "army".
HibiyaJapanese It consists of the Japanese Kanji meaning day/sun (日), ratio (比), and valley (谷). Chitose Hibiya from the manga and anime Chobits is a notable bearer of this surname.
HickEnglish From the medieval personal name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard. The substitution of H- as the initial resulted from the inability of the English to cope with the velar Norman R-.
HickDutch From a variant of the Germanic personal name Hilke, such as Icco or Hikke, a pet form of names beginning with the element hild "strife, battle".
HidegkutiHungarian Derived from a Hungarian village named Hidegkút meaning "cold well", from hideg "cold" and kút "well". A famous bearer of this surname was the Hungarian soccer legend Nándor Hidegkuti (1922-2002).
HigaOkinawan, Japanese Japanese borrowing of Okinawan 比嘉 (Fija), which is of uncertain meaning.
HigaiJapanese From Japanese 樋 (Hi) meaning "rain gutter" and 貝 (Gai) meaning "seashell". A bearer of this surname was Japanese politician Senzo Higai (1890-1953).
HigginbothamEnglish Habitational name from a place in Lancashire now known as Oakenbottom. The history of the place name is somewhat confused, but it is probably composed of the Old English elements ǣcen or ācen "oaken" and botme "broad valley"... [more]
HigginsEnglish Patronymic from the medieval personal name Higgin, a pet form of Hick.
HigueraSpanish Higuera is a local surname; that is, the name was derived from the village or estate where the original bearer of the name once lived or held land. The Higuera family originally lived in the area of Figueroa.
HiieEstonian Hiie is an Estonian surname, derived from Estonian mythology. "Hiiela" was the land of the dead and "Hiis" is a sacred grove.
HijaziArabic Denotes someone who was originally from the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia.
HijikataJapanese From 泥 (hiji) meaning "mud, mire," more often written as 土, from tsuchi meaning "earth, soil, dirt, mud," and 方 (kata) meaning "direction, way" or, more rarely, 片 (kata) meaning "one (of a pair); incomplete, fragmentary" (cognate with 方).... [more]
HildrethNorman English (Durham): of Norman origin, a variant of the male personal name Hildred (ancient Germanic Hild(i)rad, from hild 'battle' and rād 'counsel'). German: from the ancient Germanic personal name composed of hild 'fight, battle' + rāt 'counsel'.
HilevichBelarusian Derived from the Belarusian word гіль (hiĺ) meaning "bullfinch" (a name given to two groups of passerine birds) in Belarusian.
HilfikerGerman (Swiss) Altered spelling of Hilfinger, patronymic derivative of the personal name Hilfo, Helfo, a short form of a Germanic personal name based on helfe 'helper'.
HilgersenGerman Means "son of Hilger”. From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild 'strife', 'battle' + gar, ger 'spear' and sen 'son'. Most common in Northern Germany.
HillegasGerman German: Variant of Hillegass from a variant of the Germanic personal name Hildegaud, composed of hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’ + got, of uncertain meaning (perhaps the same word as Goth).
HillenDutch, German Patronymic of Hille, a pet form of given names containing the element hild "strife, battle".
HilleryEnglish, Irish Variant of Hillary. This surname has long been established in the county of Clare in Ireland. It was borne by the Irish president Patrick Hillery (1923-2008).
HimeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 姫 (Hime) meaning "Hime", a former large village in the former district of Muro in the former Japanese province of Kii in parts of present-day Wakayama, Japan and Mie, Japan.... [more]
HimeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 姫 (Hime) meaning "Hime", a former village in the district of Kani in the former Japanese province of Mino in parts of present-day Gifu, Japan.... [more]
HimmelreichGerman, Jewish humorous topographic name from a place so named as being at a high altitude from Middle High German himel "heaven" and riche "empire" meaning "kingdom of heaven, heavenly kingdom".
HimmlerGerman, History Derived from German Himmel "heaven, sky". This was a topographic name for someone living at a high altitude. ... [more]
HinataJapanese From Japanese 日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place", 陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of 向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible.
HinawaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 火縄 (hinawa) meaning "matchlock", referring to the occupation of making matchlocks.
HinckleyEnglish From the name of a place in Leicestershire meaning "Hynca's wood", from the Old English byname Hynca, derivative of hún "bear cub", and leah "woodland, clearing".
HindEnglish, Scottish English (central and northern): nickname for a gentle or timid person, from Middle English, Old English hind ‘female deer’.... [more]
HineEnglish occupational name from Middle English Old English hine "servant member of a household" also "farm laborer" (such as a herdsman or shepherd)... [more]
HingstonEnglish From any of several towns named Hinxton or Hingston, varyingly meaning "Hengist’s hill" (from hengest "stallion" and dun "hill, mountain") or "hind’s stone" (from hind "female deer" and stan "stone").
HinshelwoodScottish, English Denoted a person from a lost place called Henshilwood near the village of Carnwath on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is derived from Scots hainchil obscurely meaning "haunch" and Old English wudu meaning "wood"... [more]
HintEstonian Hint is an Estonian surname, a diminutive of the masculine given name "Hindrek".
HintzellGerman (Rare) Variant from name Hintz which was popular in Saxony and Hessen. Name later used in German Prussia. The name Hintz originates as a short form of the personal name Heinrich.