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]
HintonEnglish (Archaic) Comes from Old English heah meaning "high" and tun meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." A notable person with the surname is female author S.E Hinton.
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.
HirschbergGerman, Jewish Derived from many places named Hirschberg in the states of Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, or the historic city of Jelenia Góra in southwestern Poland. It is composed of Middle High German hirz meaning "deer, stag" and berg meaning "hill, mountain"... [more]
HirschfeldGerman, Jewish, Yiddish Ornamental name composed of German hirsch or Yiddish hirsh meaning "deer" and feld meaning "field". It is also a topographic name for someone who lived in an area of land frequented by deer or where millets grew.
HitchcockEnglish Derived from a diminutive of the medieval name Hitch. A famous bearer of the name was English film director Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (1899-1980).
HitchinsEnglish Can be either a patronymic derived from the medieval given name Hitch, or a habitational name denoting someone from the town Hitchin, itself from Old English Hicce, the name of the Celtic tribe who originally resided in the area.
HoadEnglish topographic name for someone who lived on a heath from Middle English hoth "heath" (Old English hath a by form of Old English hæþ) or a habitational name from a place so named such as Hoath in Kent... [more]
HoadleyEnglish Habitational name from East or West Hoathly in Sussex, so named from Old English hað / Middle English hoath "heath" + leah "wood, clearing".
HoagScottish, English Either a variant of Hogg or an anglicized form of Norwegian Haug or Swedish Hög (meaning either "mound, hill" or "high").
HoarEnglish From a nickname for someone with grey or white hair, from Old English har "grey, greyish-white".
HoarEnglish Habitational name for a person who lived in the village called Ore in East Sussex, or someone who lived by a bank or shore, both derived from Old English ora "shore, edge".
HochsteinGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a high rock or a castle of that name from Middle High German hoh "high" and stein "rock stone castle".
HockGerman Topographic name for someone living by a hedge, from a dialect variant of Heck.
HocktonGerman In relation to Hock a wine producing region and probably being adopted into Britain via Anglo Saxon settlers.
HodappGerman 1 South German: probably a nickname for a clumsy person, from Middle High German hōh ‘high’, ‘tall’ + the dialect word dapp ‘fool’.... [more]
HodderEnglish Occupational name for a maker or seller of hoods, from a Middle English agent derivative of Old English hod
HoenDutch, German From Middle Dutch hoen "chicken, hen", perhaps a nickname denoting a silly or foolish person, or an occupational name for someone who raised chickens.
HoenDutch, German From the personal name Huno, a short form of names containing the element hun "bear cub, offspring".
HoenNorwegian Denoted someone from one of two farmsteads called Hon, derived from either Old Norse hundr "dog" or from Hóvin, a compound of hór "high", or possibly hof "temple, shrine", and vin "meadow".
HoferleGerman (Austrian) Means "Yard Clearing" from a Combination of the Austrian word Höfer meaning "yard" or "court" with the ancient suffix "le" meaning woodland or clearing.
HoffGerman Means "yard, court, farmyard", from Germanic hof.
HoffaGerman Altered form of Hofer. This surname was borne by American labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa (1913-1975?).
HofferGerman The name Hoffer is derived from the Old German and German word hof, which means settlement, farm or court.
HofstedeDutch Means "farmstead, property; farmhouse with land" in Dutch, a compound of Old Dutch hof "yard, court" and stat "place, location, abode, town".
HolbrookEnglish, German (Anglicized) English: habitational name from any of various places, for example in Derbyshire, Dorset, and Suffolk, so called from Old English hol ‘hollow’, ‘sunken’ + broc ‘stream’. ... [more]
HolcombEnglish Habitational name from any of various places, for example in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Oxfordshire, and Somerset, so named from Old English hol meaning "hollow", "sunken", "deep" + cumb meaning "valley".
HolderGerman, Jewish, English 1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by an elder tree. Middle High German holder, or from a house named for its sign of an elder tree. In same areas, for example Alsace, the elder tree was believed to be the protector of a house... [more]
HoleEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a depression or low-lying spot, from Old English holh "hole, hollow, depression".
HolfordEnglish Habitational name from any of the places named Holford or similar in England, all derived from Old English hol "hole, hollow" and ford "ford".
HolladayEnglish English: from Old English haligdæg ‘holy day’, ‘religious festival’. The reasons why this word should have become a surname are not clear; probably it was used as a byname for one born on a religious festival day.
HollandsworthEnglish (British, Rare) Possibly an alternative spelling of Hollingsworth. Likely named after the town of Holisurde(1000s AD)/Holinewurth(1200s)/Hollingworth(Present) The town's name means "holly enclosure"
HolleyEnglish English (chiefly Yorkshire) topographic name from Middle English holing, holi(e) ‘holly tree’. Compare Hollen.
HollierEnglish, French Occupational name for a male brothel keeper, from a dissimilated variant of Old French horier "pimp", which was the agent noun of hore "whore, prostitute". Hollier was probably also used as an abusive nickname in Middle English and Old French.... [more]
HollifieldEnglish habitational name from a minor place called as "the holy field" (Old English holegn "holy" and feld "open country") perhaps Holyfield in Waltham Holy Cross (Essex) or less likely for linguistic reasons Hellifield (Yorkshire).
HollingerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from places called Holling or Hollingen.
HollingsheadEnglish Habitational name from a lost place in County Durham called Hollingside or Holmside, from Old English hole(g)n "holly" and sīde "hillside, slope"; there is a Hollingside Lane on the southern outskirts of Durham city... [more]
HollingworthEnglish Habitational name for a person from the village called Hollingsworth in Greater Manchester and other villages so called, all derived from Old English holegn "holly" and worþ "enclosure".
HollisEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived where holly trees grew.
HollisterEnglish An occupational name for a female brothel-keeper, a feminine form of Hollier.
HolloboneEnglish Common surname in the southeast England, predominantly Sussex
HollywoodEnglish Habitational name from any of various farms or hamlets in England called Hollywood such as one in Sandon and Burston (Staffordshire) perhaps named with Middle English holegn "holly" and wudu "wood".
HolmanDutch Topographic or habitational name from Dutch hol "hollow, hole" or Middle Dutch heule "arched bridge, weir". It can also derive from the given name Holle, a short form of names containing the element hold "loyal, faithful, gracious".
HolmanEnglish Uncertain etymology. Could be a topographic name derived from Old English holh "hollow, hole" or holm, which can mean either "holly" or "small island" (see Holme), combined with man "man, person"... [more]
HolsteinGerman habitational name from the province of Holstein long disputed between Germany and Denmark. This gets its name from holsten the dative plural originally used after a preposition of holst from Middle Low German holt-sate "dweller in the woods" (from Middle Low German holt "wood" and satesete "tenant")... [more]
HolteyGerman Old German name meaning "Wood Island". Holt means wood and ey means island. Family can be traced back to around 650 A.D. and is located in the Ruhr and Essen area of Germany.
HolthausGerman North German: topographic name for someone who lived by a copse (a small group of trees), from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’ + haus ‘house’.
HoltzclawGerman (Anglicized, Modern) Americanized spelling of German Holzklau, which translates into modern German as "wood thief", but is probably a nickname for someone who gathered wood, from Middle High German holz "wood" + a derivative of kluben "to pick up", "gather", "steal".
HoltzmannUpper German, German Derived from the Upper German word "holz," which means "forest." Thus many of the names that evolved from this root work have to do with living in the woods
HolyfieldEnglish, Scottish Although the Scottish surname is known to derive from the Medieval Latin word "olifantus," meaning "elephant," its origins as a surname are quite uncertain. ... He was one of the many Anglo-Norman nobles that were invited northward by the early Norman kings of Scotland.
HolyoakEnglish Habitational name from Holy Oakes (Leicestershire) or else a topographic name from residence near a "holy oak" (or "gospel oak") from Middle English holy "holy" and oke "oak" (from Old English halig and ac).
HölzelGerman The surname of Austrian singer Johann "Hans" Hölzel (1957-1998), better known by his stage name Falco.
HolzhauerGerman Occupational name for a "lumberjack, woodsman" with the element holz "forest".
HolzheimGerman The meaning of Holzheim is " wood home". Holz=wood and heim=home. ... [more]
HolzingerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Holzing or Holzingen.
HolzklauGerman From Middle High German holz ‘wood’ + a derivative of klūben ‘to pick up, gather, steal’. It means "wood thief" but it was probably more likely used as nickname for someone who gathered wood
HolzschuhGerman Occupational - from German holz "wood", and schuh "shoe".
HomanDutch From Old Dutch hovitman "leader, head man, chief". Alternatively, the Dutch form of Hoffmann.
HoneyballEnglish From Honeyball, a medieval personal name of uncertain origin: perhaps an alteration of Annabel, or alternatively from a Germanic compound name meaning literally "bear-cub brave" (i.e. deriving from the elements hun "warrior, bear cub" and bald "bold, brave").
HoodEnglish Habitational or topographic name derived from Old English hod "hood, hat", referring to a hood-shaped hill, or possibly taking from the older meaning of "shelter, cover".
HoogenboomDutch Means "high tree" in Dutch, from hoog "high" and boom "tree", a topographic name for someone living by a tall tree, or a habitational name from places called Hoogboom and Hogenboom in the Belgian province of Antwerp... [more]
HoogendijkDutch Derived from Dutch hoog meaning "high, elevated" and dijk meaning "dike, ditch, levee", referring to someone who lived near a high dyke or embankment.
HoogendoornDutch From any of several place names derived from either hoog "high" or haag "hedge" combined with doorn "thorn bush".
HoogeveenDutch From any of several places called Hoogeveen, derived from Dutch hoog "high, elevated" and veen "peat bog, marsh".
HooglandDutch A toponoymic or habitational surname meaning "highland", derived from Middle Dutch hooch "high" and lant "land".
HoogteijlingDutch Habitational name from Hoogteilingen, derived from hoogh "high" and the toponym Teijlingen, from Old Dutch *tagla "tail, narrow ridge".
HooijkaasDutch Meaning uncertain, spelling possibly altered by folk etymology.
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.
HopDutch Variant form of Hopp. Alternatively, an occupational name derived from Dutch hop referring to the common hop (Humulus lupus), a kind of plant traditionally used to preserve and flavour beer.
HörbergSwedish The first element is probably derived from a place name starting with hör. The meaning of this element differs depending on which place name it was derived from, examples include harg "sanctuary, altar" (from Höör, Hörby), hö "hay" (from Hörröd), and hörn "corner" (from Hörnefors)... [more]
HörmannGerman The distinguished surname Hormann is of very ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements "heri," meaning "army," and "man," meaning "man."
HornæusSwedish (Archaic) Probably a latinization of Härnösand, a city in Västernorrland County, Sweden. A notable bearer was Swedish priest Laurentius (Lars) Christophori Hornæus (born as Lars Christoffersson in 1645 in Härnösand)... [more]
HornbyEnglish A habitational name from locations called Hornby in northern England, though predominantly associated with Lancashire. Derived from the Norse horni meaning "horn" and býr meaning "farm" or "settlement".
HorneckerGerman Habitational name denoting someone from any of various places called Horneck.