Hand
A name that likely began as a nickname or personal-name form, and in some cases may also reflect an old place-name association.
The #1,639 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,030 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hand is treated in older surname books as an ancient personal name, and it may also have been reinforced by bynames based on the word for the hand itself. In some medieval records it appears in forms such as de Hanebere and related spellings, suggesting a cluster of old place-name or personal-name forms rather than one single straightforward source. Because the evidence is mixed, the name is best treated as having an uncertain origin, though English nickname and old personal-name development are both plausible.
History
Bardsley and Lower both note early surname forms and treat Hand/Hande as old enough to stand as a surname without prefix. The name survives today in the United States and the United Kingdom, with several historical spelling variants recorded in medieval documents. Some bearers may also be related to surnames formed from local names such as Handsworth, but that is not certain for all families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower specifically remarks that Hand and Hande appear as surnames without a prefix, which is a clue that the name was already established quite early.
From the historical record
“HAND riants of the surname are found in the United SUtes. Walter de Haneber*, or Handierowe, CO. Oxf., 1273. A. ^ Robert de Hanebei^, co. Oxf., ibid. Richard de Hanbami, co. Northampt., so Edw. L K.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)