Hemphill
A likely Scottish surname meaning “hemp hill,” referring to a place where hemp was grown or a hill known by that name.
The #2,672 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,879 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hemphill is generally explained as a place-based surname built from hemp + hill. The first element is the plant name hemp, and the second is hill, so the literal sense is “hemp hill” or “hill associated with hemp.” In surname use, that usually points to someone from a place so named rather than to a personal characteristic.
History
The name is found in Scottish and Ulster contexts, and it appears in historical records from the north of Ireland as well as among emigrant communities. Later bearers include notable families in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. The spelling is fairly stable, though pronunciation may vary slightly by region.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century name lists sometimes treated Hemphill as a recognizable place-name surname, alongside other landscape-based names like Hill and Greenwood.
From the historical record
“Londonderry and Tyrone. Hemphill, . 72 12”
— Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (numerical strength, derivation, distribution)