Hang
A rare surname that may have arisen as a nickname or from an occupational term connected with hanging or suspension.
The #5,101 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,987 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hang is not securely explained. In English it is most naturally linked to the verb "hang," but old surname writers often treated it as either a nickname or an occupational reference, especially in relation to a hangman or to something that hangs. The evidence in the historical excerpts is too slight to support a single certain derivation, so the safest conclusion is that it is an English name of uncertain origin, probably based on the idea of hanging or suspension.
History
Nineteenth-century writers noted families of Hang in the English-speaking world, including in New York, but gave no firm derivation. Because the name is very uncommon, it may also have been recorded with spelling variation or confused with similar forms such as Hanger or Hangitt. Modern bearers in the United States may therefore reflect more than one origin path.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century onomastic writer specifically remarked that families named Hang could be found in New York.
From the historical record
“*Why should thy sweete love*Iocke hang dang^tn^downe, Kissing thy girale«tnd with falling pride?' The Affectionate Shepheard, 1594. John Lovdok. J.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)