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.
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]
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.
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".
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).
HippyIndonesian (Rare) This surname was born in Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. However as time passes and people move on, this family can now be found on Java Island.
HiraiJapanese From Japanese 平 (hira 2) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 井 (i) meaning "well".
HodgeEnglish Nickname from Middle English hodge "hog", which occurs as a dialect variant of hogge, for example in Cheshire place names.
HodnyCzech My great grandfather Frank Hodny homesteaded in Lankin, North Dakota, came from Czechoslovakia in 1870's. With his brother Joseph Hodny, both had large families. ... [more]
HoornGerman (Austrian) From the Germanic 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.
HorstDutch, Low German Means "elevated and overgrown land, thicket" or "bird of prey’s nest, eyrie" in Dutch, the name of several locations.
HortaCatalan, Portuguese Means "garden" (Latin hortus), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosed garden or an occupational name for one who was a gardener.
HosoiJapanese From Japanese 細 (hoso) meaning "thin, fine, slender" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
HosooJapanese From the Japanese 細 (hoso) "narrow" and 尾 (o) "tail."
HoteiJapanese, Japanese Mythology This surname literally means "cloth bag". It is spelled with 布 (ho, fu, furu) meaning "linen, cloth, rag, fabric" and 袋 (tei, dai, fukuru, bukuru) meaning "bag, sack, pouch".... [more]
HoughEnglish English: habitational name from any of various places, for example in Cheshire and Derbyshire, so named from Old English hoh ‘spur of a hill’ (literally ‘heel’). This widespread surname is especially common in Lancashire... [more]
HovdaNorwegian Habitational name from the many farmsteads in Norway named Hovda. Derived from Old Norse hófði "rounded peak", itself derived from Old Norse hofuð "head".
HoxieEnglish They were first found in the settlement of Hawkshaw in the county of Lancashire. The surname Hoxie belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
HøyerDanish A surname relatively common in Denmark, derived from the Old Norse word haugr, meaning "mound, cairn, hill". Alternatively, meaning can be traced back to the old Germanic personal name Hucger, a compound consisting of hug- "heart, mind, spirit" and geirr "spear".
HoyleWelsh, English Derived from Old English holh meaning "hole". It is thought to have originally been a name for someone who lived in a round hollow or near a pit.
HrachGerman (Austrian, Rare), Czech (Rare) Originated in the Czech-speaking region of Bohemia in Austria, pre-1900. From Czech hrách, meaning "pea." Given either to a very short man or to a gardener.
HuāwūChinese From Chinese 花 (huā) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with 屋 (wū) meaning "shop".
HubenGerman The roots of the distinguished German surname Huben lie in the kingdom of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "huober," meaning "owner of a patch of farmland." The term "Hube" was used to denote a 40-acre hide of farmland... [more]
HuberMaltese Not to be confused with the German surname.
HuvalFrench (Cajun) The Huval name has historically been labeled German or Acadian (Cajun), however, recently more information has been discovered that shows the Huvals came directly from France.... [more]
HwangKorean, Taiwanese Korean form of Huang, from Sino-Korean 黃 (hwang). It is also a Chinese alternate transcription of the same name chiefly used in Taiwan.
HyattEnglish Topographic name derived from Middle English heih "high" and yate "gate".
IbukaJapanese From Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well" and 深 (fuka) meaning "depth". A notable bearer of this surname was the Japanese industrialist Masaru Ibuka who is known for have been a co-founder of Japanese electronics conglomerate Sony (1908 – 1997).
IbukiJapanese It is written as 伊 (I) meaning "that one" and 吹 (buki) meaning "blow into".... [more]
IeiriJapanese (Rare) 家 (Ie) means "building, residency, family, dwelling, home, habitation", and 入 (iri) means "enter, input". ... [more]
IencaItalian (Rare) Allegedly derived from Italian giovenca "heifer". A heifer is a young cow that has not yet had a calf. Mount Jenca and Jenca Valley are located near Gran Sasso d'Italia in the Abruzzo region in Italy.
IfansWelsh Derived from Welsh ap Ifan meaning "son of Ifan". A famous bearer is Welsh actor and musician Rhys Ifans (1967-), born Rhys Owain Evans.
IkariJapanese Means "anchor" in Japanese. When written in different kanji, it can also mean anger.
IkariJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 五十里 (Ikari) meaning "Ikari", a division in the town of Nyūzen in the district of Shimoniikawa in the prefecture of Toyama in Japan or an area in the city of Takaoka in the prefecture of Toyama in Japan.
IkawaJapanese From Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
ImanoJapanese Ima means "now, present" and no means "field, wilderness, plain".
ImariJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 今利, 伊万里 or 伊萬里 with 今 (kon, kin, ima) meaning "now", 利 (ri, ki.ku) meaning "advantage, benefit, profit", 伊 (i, kare) meaning "Italy, that one", 万/萬 (ban, man, yorozu, ma) meaning "ten thousand/10,000" and 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village."... [more]
ImataJapanese Ima means "now" and da means "field, rice paddy".
ImpeyEnglish From Impey, the name of various places in England, derived from Old English *imphaga, *imphæg "sapling enclosure". Alternatively it could have indicated a person who lived near an enclosure of young trees.
IndayCebuano Inday means ''darling'' in Visayan language after the Spanish colonized the Philippines the name Inday became derogatory often associated with ''slaves'' and in present days ''domestic helpers''