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Our Surnames H
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HAGGERSTONE. Probably from
a place-name. There is a
Haggertson in Northumberland (Landranger Sheet 75, Grid Ref. NU 045437). It even
has a castle.
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HAGUE, HAIG, HAIGH. There are two
possibilities. From Old English and Old Norse we have “dweller by the
enclosure” (haga or hagi) or from Norman origin we can have the
district of la Hague (dep. of La Manche). The former gives rise to place-names
in Lancs. and Yorks.
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HAILE. Northern spelling of HALE. The same Old English word, halh,
gives us –haugh, a common last element in place-names. It means a nook, cranny
or remote place. There are plenty of those in our region!
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HALL. The meaning has not changed in 1000 years, so it’s anyone who lived at
or near the Hall. HALLs were the dominant family in Elsdon in Northumberland. (Landranger
Sheet 80, Grid Ref:NY937934) during the 18th C.
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HALLIDAY, HOLIDAY, HOLLIDAY. The conventional derivation is from one born on a
Holy Day; this may be true in certain cases, but the overwhelming probability
points to a Border clan of the name whose traditions go back well before the
Conquest. The HALLIDAYs of Annandale trace their origins back to Celtic
cruithene,
or painted ones, banished to Ireland by the Romans who re-conquered their
homeland from the Saxons in the 9th C. Their war-cry, “À
Holyday” symbolised their self assurance when pillaging the Saxon lands across
the Border. (Who worshipped which Gods at the time, is not recorded!). Their
traditional rallying point is Halliday Hill, still a feature of lower Annandale.
(Landranger Sheet 85, Grid Ref. NY091741). When Robert de BRUS (BRUIS, BRUCE) (Nb.
Most of the leading members of the de BRUS were called Robert. The most famous,
1274-1329, was the 8th.) was granted Annandale by David I in the 12th
C., English connections were established, and many HALLIDAYs were said to have
accompanied Richard I on his ill-fated Crusade. Many HALLIDAYs and HOLLIDAYs are
listed in English and Scottish annals, one of the more unusual being Walter
HOLYDAY, King’s (chief) Minstrel to Edward IV from 1464 to 1469.
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(ONS).
holliday@one-name.org
(Mrs E Holliday.)
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HAMER. This could be someone from Hamer,
Lancashire, or a maker of hammers.
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HAMILTON. The Scots say this is an English surname and no relation to the
Academical football team. It may be from Hamilton in Leicestershire or from one
of the several Hambletons throughout the North.
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HANKEY, HANKIN. Probably derivatives from Scandinavian or Flemish pet-names for
John. (Johannes). See JOHN.
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HANDSFORD, HANSFORD. Probably from the same root as HANDFORD and HANFORD which
are from similar place-names in Cheshire, Dorset, Devon and Staffordshire. The
Dorset connection is strongest. (ONS) hansford@one-name.org
(Mr M. A Hansford)
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HARBISON. Same as
HERBERTSON; HERBERT is Norman, “army-bright”. Early examples suggest a
Glasgow origin.
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HARBOTTLE. From the place-name, Harbottle in Northumberland. (Landranger
Sheet 80, Grid Ref NT935047). The place-name means the dwelling of the
hirelings, and its ruined castle is described by Pevsner as “the finest
mediaeval earthwork in the county”. The root of the name element “bottle”
gives the modern word bothy, possibly implying that the hirelings’ dwelling
was not luxurious! Our HARBOTTLE family were from Ovingham
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HARDISTY. From one of two place-names, both
in Yorkshire. (near Nesfield on R Wharfe and near Fewston, a few mile ENE.
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HARDWICK. Plenty of place-names to
choose from as they all mean “sheep farm” (heordewic)
(ONS)
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HARDY. Bold or courageous. The surname is recorded in Yorkshire in the 12th
C.
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HAREWOOD. From the place-name, there are several around the country but we can
guess at the Yorkshire one. (Landranger Sheet 104 SE321451)
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HARKAS, HARKES. A Scottish name, with several spellings, the original being
HARCARSE from a place-name in the parish of Fogo in Berwickshire. (NT 812488).
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HARKER. While the “books” have this as a nickname for an eavesdropper.
Recently received information is that this is a typically Swaledale name,
deriving from akr (acre) meaning: (the people of the) meadow. This seems
the more likely explanation.
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Ralph Harka was a gild member in York in the 15thC.
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HARLE. Said to be a
variant of Earl, probably granted as a nickname. As a noble title, Earl
is similar to the Norse Jarl, which might well explain the surname HARLE being
widespread throughout Northern Europe where the Viking influence was felt.
Alternatively, there is a set of place-names in our catchment area, Kirkharle,
Littleharle and West Harle (Landranger Sheet 81, Grid Ref. NZ 012825, NZ 013835
and NY 990820) which might be related, see Wm. de HARLE, below. Many HARLE
researchers trace their ancestry to this district. The place-name is either
Herela’s leah or harg-leah, leah being a wood or glade
and harg being a heathen temple, always a popular place to plant a
Christian church, although there is no mention of an early church on the site of
14th C St Wilfreds.
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Noteworthy HARLEs:
In 1327 Wm. de Harle became Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in
the first year of Edward III. He obtained land at Kirkharle in 1320 and when he
died in 1347 possessed half of the Barony of Bolbeck.
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(For another reference to Kirkharle, see
BROWN)
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(ONS) harle@one-name.org
(Mr. Trevor Harle)
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HARRISON. Son of Henry. There are those who
argue that “Harry” is a more ancient pronunciation the “Henry”, being
the Anglicisation of the French “Henri”! See also HENDERSON.
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HART. From the animal. Probably, then, a deer-keeper.
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HARTY. See D’HARTY.
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HARVIESON. Son of Harvey, probably. Harvey itself derives from haer-viu
or -wicus: battle-worthy or -army.
Either way, it is a warrior name.
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HASLAM. Dweller by the hazel trees. First known record in Lancashire, 13th
C.
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HASLIP, HESLIPP,
HESLOP. There are many alternative spellings of this name which means a dweller
in the hazel valley. John Heslop was a Freeman of York in 1414.
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HAY, HAYS, Sometimes names that are in
“singular” and “plural” form are from completely different sources;
these are said to be the same. There are two derivations: a hay is an enclosure, hence dweller herein or thereby or heah
means tall (the modern “high”). At least a tall person in an enclosure could
see over the hedge!
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HAYTON. From the place-name, Hayton. There are two likely candidates in one in
Cumberland, ner Aspatria, and one in E. Yorkshire There are clusters of HAYTON
surnames near both villages. Hayton
means a settlement surrounded by a hedge. We must also consider the Aytons
(Great and Little) in North Yorkshire. (see AYTON) as h can readily appear or
disappear betwixt verbal and written record!
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HEARD, HIRD, HURD.
Same as HERD, and meaning a herdsman. HERDER and HERDMAN also mean the same.
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HEAD. Certainly derived from Old English heafod,
“head”, but meaning either someone who lived at or near the head of a valley
or stream, or as a physical attribute of someone whose head was remarkable.
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HEATON. From the place-name; either the suburb of modern Newcastle or another of
the Northumberland villages, e.g. Kirkheaton. The place name simply means
settlement on the high ground.
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HEAVISIDE. William
de HEAVISIDE was a signatory on a Charter to Kelso Abbey, which was founded in
1128 at Roxburgh, Scotland by King David 1st.
Therefore the early ancestors of the family were probably Norman
followers of the King. Subsequent generations of the family were domiciled in
the Border areas of Northumberland, Durham and Cumberland and also in Yorkshire.
The most illustrious member of the family is Oliver HEAVISIDE, F.R.S
(1850 - 1925), one of the fathers of modern electronics. His parents were Rachel
Elizabeth WEST and Thomas HEAVISIDE, a wood engraver and watercolour artist.
Thomas was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1813, and at the age of 30 moved to
London (where Oliver was born) where he illustrated the early works of Charles
Dickens. Rachel’s sister was married to (Sir) Charles WHEATSTONE, the eminent
scientist and musical instrument maker, who encouraged Oliver’s interest in
telegraphy. Oliver moved to Devon in 1889 where he lived the rest of his life.
For more information , see links:
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www.oliverheaviside.com
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http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Mathematicians/Heaviside.html
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www.kcl.ac.uk/college/history/people/wheatstone.html
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HEDLEY. From Hedley on the Hill in
Northumberland. ( Landranger Sheet 88, NZ 080592), although tradition has it
that HEDLEY is particularly a Redesdale name ( Landranger Sheet 80, NT 698068 to
NY 865822) (. There is also a Headley in W Yorkshire. (Plus others in southern
England)
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HEDRINGTON. See HETHERINGTON.
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HELDRED. See
HILDRETH.
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HELM. Not so much a helmet, more a covered
cattle shelter, so probably one of the many names for a herdsman. Alternatively,
from over the Scottish border, there is a district of Helme near Kelso in the
ancient Barony of Cavers.
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HEMSLEY. From Helmsley in N Yorkshire.
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HENDERSON. Son of Henry, the Gaelic for which is MacEanruig, which
evolves into MacKENDRICK and HENDERSON, both said to be more “English”.
HENRY itself has both Norman and Old German roots, meaning “home-rule”.
Rather significant, that, bearing in mind that the HENDERSONs are one of our
many Reivers clans (see Reivers) in Liddesdale, and they certainly were not to
be ruled by anyone outside! Further north, HENDERSONs were Bodyguard and hereditary Pipers to the Lords of Glencoe at the time of the infamous massacre. In more
recent, less turbulent times, the HENDERSONs were notable benefactors in
Newcastle; Henderson Hall, Newcastle University’s first Hall of Residence, was
named after Sir George.
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HEPPLE. From Hepple in Northumberland. (
Landranger Sheet 81, NT 984006)
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HEPPLEWHITE Same as HEBBLETHWAITE, from Heblethwaite, near Sedbergh, W Yorks. (Landranger
Sheet 98,)
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HERDMAN. See HEARD
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HERON. This can be from Harome, near Helmsley in N Yorkshire, or possibly a
nickname of a long-legged person. The HERON family owned Chipchase Castle in
Northumberland from 1348 to 1727 and were Lords of the Manor of Ford before
that. Sir William was licensed to crenellate Ford Castle in 1338. The HERONs
crop up on both sides of the Border back to 11th C. (Ford Castle,
Landranger Sheet 75, Grid Ref. NT945375. Chipchase Castle, Landranger Sheet 87,
Grid Ref. NY880759)
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HESLIPP, HESLOP. See Haslip
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HETHERINGTON, HEDRINGTON,
ETHERINGTON. HEATHERINGTON. These names derive from Hetherington in
Northumberland. (Grid Ref: NY 825783) and appear in Northumberland and Lincolnshire in the 13th
and 14th Century. The origin of the place-name is a bit vague. Heath-
may mean just that, or perhaps stag. The suffix “-ington” usually (but not
inevitably!) means ”the settlement of the people of-“ preceded by a personal
name, which Heath isn’t. So, the settlement of the heath people or the
heather-gatherers, perhaps?
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The variant, ETHERINGTON, appears
at least in Stuart times, as Mr ETHERINGTON paid his Hearth Tax in Yorkshire in
1672.
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HEWATSON, HEWETSON, HEWITSON, Son of Hewet, a
diminutive of Hugh. HEWET can appear as a surname, meaning either as above, or a
dweller in a (hewed!) clearing. This second meaning is less likely to have
acquired the “–son” suffix. A
famous HEWETT left the village of Wales in N Yorks. in Tudor times and
eventually became Lord Mayor of London. His claim to fame is to have organised
the execution of Lady Jane Grey (ONS) hewitson@one-name.org
(Mr. John Stark). For more information and surname distribution maps for the
1901 census, see http://www.johnstark.demon.co.uk
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HEYMER. See HINDMARSH, HIGHMOOR.
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HICKS. A pet name for Richard, current in
Yorkshire in the 13th and 14thC.
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HIGHMOOR, HIGHMORE. Earliest records from the late 1200's are
from the area of Cumbria around Wigton, Bassenthwaite and Aspatria. There still
exists a village mile south of Wigton. Our researcher has DNA consistent with
Norwegian Vikings, which is in turn consistent with known settlement. However,
The local pronunciation is HYMER and many of the earlier records show the
spelling as HEMMER, HEMER and HINDMOOR.
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Researchers suspect an overlap with the HINDMARSH/HINDMARCH families in the
North East but are still struggling to untangle that web! There are at least two
different family crests representing the different families.
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HILDRETH, HILDRITH, HYLDRETH, HELDRED. A follower or servant
of St HILDA, 614 A.D to 680 A.D., founder and Abbess of Whitby in 657 A.D. She
was an Anglo-Saxon princess whose name on her tombstone is spelled HILDITHRYTH
in Runic and means “war-counsel”. HILDRETHs, not surprisingly, have their
roots deep in the East Coast counties of England. On St Martin’s day, 1482,
John Hildreth (Johannes Hyldryth) claimed asylum at Durham Cathedral, having
killed William Hebuman in a skirmish. His witnesses were: Thomas Mayhem (no
comment!), Thomas Boz and John Stevynson. See also
www.lihildreth.net
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For followers of saints, see also BEADLING,
McBRIDE.
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HILL. Either a hill-dweller, or perhaps derived from a personal name “Hille”,
a variant of “Hillary” or “Hilger”.
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HIND. Perhaps a nickname for a timid person or a variant of HINE, an old name
for a servant.
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HINDLEY. There are two possibilities, both place-names: Hindley,
Lancashire, Grid Ref:SD616041 or
Hiendley, W Yorkshire. Hindley Hill, near Allendale town, was the home of the
BROADWOODs.
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HINDMARCH, HINDMARSH. This very
typically Northern name probably originated in Northumberland and is believed to
come from the Old English words Hina-Marah-Scalh meaning
“household-horse-servant”, i.e. household groom. (Nothing to do with deer or
boggy ground so far as we know!) Family Motto is Nil Nisi Patria meaning
“Nothing Before Ones Country” There is evidently a typewritten mss in
Darlington Library called ‘Nil Nisi Patria - a history of the families
descended from DE HYNDEMERSH’. It
was published in New Zealand in 1970, and includes 68 spelling variations. Most
notable variants are HYMAS and the like. See also HIGHMOOR.
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HINDMOOR. See HIGHMOOR
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HINDSHAW.
Nothing in the “standard works”. It could be from Henshaw,
Northumberland, between Haydon Bridge and Haltwhistle or it may be a lost place
name. The copse of deer or wildfowl.
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HIRD. See HEARD.
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HIRST. From Old English hyrst, a wooded hill. There are suitable candidate place-names in
Northumberland and Yorkshire.
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HOBRON. See HOLBORN.
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HOBBS, HOBSON. (ONS) Son of Hob, Hobb or Hobbe.
This can be a given name in its own right or a variant of Robert
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HODEN. Ann HODEN married Samuel WHITE, a miner of Nattrass,
The Flat and Low Silly Hole at Garrigill on 15 5 1731. Her mother was Mary
VIPOND, but her father, curiously, is recorded as Samuel WHITE! Their daughter
Susan married Joseph VIPOND 18.2.1790 at Alston and Ann died at Nattrass on 20 2
1759.
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HODGSHON, HODGSON. Son of Hodge, a pet name
for ROGER or RODGER (q.v.) (ONS)
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HOGGETT. Hog-herd. The name is current in Northumberland and Yorkshire in 13th
& 14thC.
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HOLBORN. From the district of London. How did this creep in?
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HOLIDAY, HOLLIDAY. See HALLIDAY.
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HOLLYER. Reaney gives the origin as the nickname for a debauchee. Commonsense
does not really support this. Even in the frank and bawdy Middle Ages, would
anyone be likely to accept such a label? A dweller in
a hollow, or even by a holly tree would be likely alternatives. The distribution
of the name appears to centre on Warwickshire and is rarely found in the North,
so our HOLLYER connection in Houghton-le-Spring, DUR, in the 16th C.
appears to be a classic “stray”. While we thus cannot claim any famous
HOLLYERs for the North Pennines, a mention must be made of Thomas Hollier
1609-1690, born in Coventry in 1609 and trained in London as a surgeon, or
chirurgeon as it was often then called, his career spanning over 53 years. He is
famous for operating on Samuel Pepys for the removal of a large bladder stone in
1658, without anaesthetics or antiseptics, of course! It is a tribute to his
skill that in 1662, he performed 30 consecutive stone operations without losing
a single patient. He became a close friend of Samuel Pepys and the eminent
scientist, Robert Boyle. (ONS).
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hollyer@one-name.org. More comprehensive information at www.hollyer.name
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HOLMES. Dweller at an island or a flat, boggy
place, Old Norse holm, holmr. HOME and
HUME also come from this root. Thomas Holmes was born at Alston in 1804 and
married Jane Walton on May 27, 1826. They are the ancestors of a large HOLMES
group in Canada and worldwide, including Walton HOLMES of Sunderland, Ontario,
born in 1892, who lived to over 102.
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HOLOHAN. The family seem to originate in Waterford, Ireland.
A considerable population of HOLOHANs in Saratoga, NY, USA, might well have come
from there.
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HOOD. Probably a maker of hoods.
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HOPKIN, HOPKINS. A diminutive of Hobb or Robert. (see HOBSON) HOPKINS may have
been Hobb’s servant.
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HOPPER. A dancer, from Old English hoppian.
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HORN, HORNE. Either a horn player or bugler, or a dweller on a horn of land.
None of the early references is from the Pennine area, but John HORN was
“beaten and evil treated on the Border” in 1279.
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HORNSBY. From Hornsby in Cumbria (Landranger Sheet 86, NY 515501).
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HORSLEY. From the place-name, there are several but the most likely candidate is
Longhorsley in Northumberland (on A697, N of Morpeth)
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HOULT, HOLT, a dweller near a wood.
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HOURD, see ORD.
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HOWARD. A name with many origins, so you’d
need to trace back well into the middle ages to find out which HOWARD you are!
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1)
A variant of HUGH, Old German for “Braveheart”
(no relation to Mel Gibson!)
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2)
From Hayward, a ranger who guarded the hayfields, otherwise know as
Lammas meadows, traditionally mown in early August (It
fell about the Lammas
tide / When the muir-men win their hay – the opening lines of “The Battle of
Otterburn”)
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3)
A variant of EWART, a shepherd, or Hog-ward, the pig-keeper.
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4)
The local Lord’s High Warden.
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HOWDEN. From the place-name, possibly Howden-le-Wear
in Durham (Landranger Sheet 92, NZ 159335 ), although there are Howdens in
Northumberland and E Yorkshire. I’m not too happy about Howden-le-Wear.
“Howden” means “main valley” and H-le-W is neither in the main valley
nor on the Wear itself; it’s on the Beechburn Beck! So it might well be a
modern name.
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HOWE, HUGHF, HEUGH. Other variants include HOW, HOWIE, HOWES and even HO and HOU.
Like the two pronunciations of WAUGH, the terminal “f” depends upon local
taste. Matthew de HOU witnessed a charter in Kelso in 1190 and William de HUFF
appears in 14thC Poll Tax rolls in Yorkshire. The widespread occurrence and
spelling variations suggest a multiple origin, probably from hōh, a
ridge or haugr, a mound or hill. Just to confuse the issue, forms of the
name overlap with variants of HUGH, which derives from hugo, heart or
mind.
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HOWLET. A double diminutive of HUGH: Hugh-el-ot. The name also occurs as
HEWLET(T).
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HUBBARD. Same as HUBERT: “bright-minded”.
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HUBBUCK. No information yet available.
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HUCHINSON, HUTCHENSON, HUTCHINSON. Son of
HUTCHON, which is a double-diminutive of HUGH, probably originating in Picardy.
Both names have a long history both in England and Scotland.
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HUCK. From the Old English given name Ucca,
a variant of Uhtraed.
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HUDSMITH – see HUDSON, Hudspeth.
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HUDSON. Huda’s son. Huda and Hoda
are Old English given names, or maybe variants of the same one. At least one
Huda was a pretty powerful lord sometime before the 13th Century, as Hudsmith
(Hud’s meogh) is a surname taken by
his brothers or sons in law!
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HUDSPETH, HUDSPITH, (HUDSMITH),
HOODSPITH
This name (not in the standard works on
surnames!) is taken from Hudspeth, a farmstead in the Cheviot Hills. (NY 948942,
Landranger Sheet 80). The place, in its turn, is probably Huda’s Path,
Hoda’s Path or even Hugh’s Path (Hugh = Hudd). An alternative, The
Hodder’s Path is possible (cf. The Salter’s Way nearby, from Alnham to Kirk
Yetholm) but improbable as there is no particular reason why a Hood-maker should
have been itinerant. Many HUDSMITHs in the records are mistranscriptions of
Hudspith, although the name is quite genuine in its own right. A Hudsmith did
not beat hoods (Steel Bonnets, indeed) out of sheet iron – useful though they
may have been in the mediaeval Borderland! – but was a
male-relative-by-marriage (meogh) of Hud or Huda. (See also JOBLING)
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HUGHF, HUGHFF. See HOWE.
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HULL. This is usually an
alternative for HILL but can be from an old given name, Hulle.
The name is found in Co. Durham back to the 13th C. Our researcher
traces his back to a large family of Hulls in Brancepeth in the C16, and has
identified another major family in Sunderland at around the same time.
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HUNT, HUNTER. (ONS). A Huntsman.
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HUNTON. From Hunton in N Yorkshire.
(Landranger Sheet 99 SE 189924)
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HURD. See HEARD
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HUTCHENSON, HUTCHINSON. See HUCHINSON
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HUTT. Probably derived from Hugh, via a pet-form Hudd.
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HUTTON. From one of the many places of that name.
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HYLDRETH. See HILDRETH
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HYMAS, HYMERS, HYMER,
HYMUS, HEYMER. These names are all derived either from HINDMARSH or HIGHMOOR,
q.v. It would be nice to think that, say, HYMER is HIGHMOOR and
HYMERS is HINDMARSH but life is never that simple! In addition, as
HINDMARSH is believed to be Saxon and HIGHMOOR is Norse-Viking, it will take DNA
profiling to sort out. Pass the swab!
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A
Ba to Bi Bl
to By C D
E F
G H
IJK L
M N
OPQ R
Sa to Si Sk
to Sy TUV WXYZ
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