Hammonds
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Hamon,” with an added -d that later became standard in the name.
The #2,839 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,292 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hammonds is a patronymic surname built from the medieval personal name Hamon or Hamund, ultimately of Norman-French use in England. The ending -s marks “son of,” while the -d is generally treated as an excrescent or supporting consonant that became fixed in some spellings. In plain terms, the name means “descendant of Hamon.”
History
Bardsley treats Hammonds as one of several English surnames descended from the old baptismal name Hamon, alongside forms such as Hamon, Hamond, and Hammons. The surname appears in English records in medieval and later periods, and by the 19th century it was established enough to show up in parish and directory listings in Britain and the United States. The spelling with -ds is a later surname form rather than a separate root.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley noted that names like Hammonds helped preserve the old Norman personal name Hamon after it had largely disappeared as a given name.
From the historical record
“Hunmenoe.— BapL AvatHant of Hammonds or Hammons, q.v. ; cf. Evance for Evans, but v. Hem- MDB.(co. CambridgeX 1. HammsTBlsy, Hftmaraly. —”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances