Hitt
An old name likely from a personal name such as Hild or a short form like Hido/Hitto, rather than from a trade or place.
The #4,567 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,777 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hitt is probably a shortened form of an early Germanic personal name, with forms such as Hido, Hiddo, or Hitto suggested by older surname scholars. These names are usually connected with the old name-element lid, meaning "battle" or "fight," though the exact line of descent is not certain. In English records, Hitt may also reflect a reduced form of the old name Hild.
History
The name appears in English surname collections as an old, compact personal-name surname, and not as a clearly occupational or locational one. It is also listed among related forms in Germanic naming studies, suggesting that similar short name forms were widespread in medieval Europe. In the United States, Hitt is established but not especially common.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname writers grouped Hitt with a whole family of short Germanic names built from ancient personal-name elements, which can make it look deceptively simple today.
From the historical record
“Cecilia de Tonk*. 13*01 v. Baiiwm" Hitt. Lane. li. 36. Johanne* de Towalaj, 13TO: P. T. Yoclu. p. 384- 1588. Bernard Tow-nley. co. Lane:”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances