Hewitt
An English surname meaning “son of Hugh,” from a medieval pet form of the given name Hugh.
The #1,191 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,398 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hewitt is a patronymic surname built from medieval pet forms of Hugh, especially Hew or Hewet, with the diminutive ending -itt. In this tradition, it literally means “little Hugh” or “son of Hugh.” The root Hugh ultimately comes from a Germanic name element meaning “heart,” “mind,” or “spirit,” though surname users would simply have understood it as a family-name form of the forename.
History
The name is well established in England in several spellings, including Hewett, Hewettson, Hewitson, and Hewson. Historical surname dictionaries treat Hewitt as a variant of Hewett rather than a separate origin. It became common enough to survive widely in Britain and later in North America and other English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books often file Hewitt under Hugh-related names rather than as an independent surname, because it was originally just one of several spelling variants.
From the historical record
“HEWISH. A parish in Wiltshire. HEWITT. See Hewett. HEWLETT. Perhaps a diminutive of Hugli. HEWSON. The son of Hugh. IIEXAMER. Of this singular name I can make nothing, unless it means a native of Hexham, co. Northumberland. HEXT. xV-Sax. hexta, O. Eng. hext,”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Hewitt
- Jennifer Love Hewitt (b. 1979)
- Lleyton Hewitt (b. 1981)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.