Hunt
A common English surname from the word for a hunter, originally tied to hunting as an occupation or status.
The #169 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,949 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hunt comes from Old English hunta, meaning “hunter.” The name is usually explained as an occupational surname for someone who hunted game, though it could also have been used more broadly for a person associated with hunting. Older writers sometimes linked it with the word for a hound, but the straightforward sense “hunter” is the standard explanation.
History
The surname appears early in English records and remains one of the most familiar occupational surnames in the English-speaking world. Some 19th-century writers suggested that many bearers may ultimately descend from Norman families, but the name itself is plainly English in form and was already common in medieval records. It spread widely and is now especially frequent in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted that forms like Le Hunt were already common in medieval records, showing how early the surname was in use.
From the historical record
“of the local Honeybourne. HUNT. Hunta, A-Sax., a hunter ; con- nected with kund, a hound or dog. See Hunter. Le Hunt is very common in H.R, and Huntemau is also found there. HUNTER. Obviously derived from the chase, in old times a necessary art, as well as a favourite di^■ersiou. The Normans were great preservers…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom