Hudspeth
A surname most likely built from an old place-name, probably meaning a homestead or landing place by a broad stretch of water.
The #7,187 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,383 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hudspeth is generally treated as a locational surname from a lost or altered English place-name. The second element is often explained from Old English or Middle English words for a landing place, shore, or path by water, while the first element may be a personal name or descriptive element that is no longer clear. Because the place itself is not securely identified, the exact original meaning remains uncertain.
History
The name is established in England and became especially visible in the United States, where it is now carried by several thousand people. Like many surnames of this type, it likely began as a way of identifying someone by the place where they lived or had come from, then became hereditary. Later spellings and pronunciations could vary as families moved between regions and literacy increased.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Hudspeth is uncommon enough that many bearers in the U.S. can still be traced to a relatively small number of early family lines.