Hanks
A surname that likely began as a short form of Hankin, itself a pet form of John or another medieval personal name.
The #2,066 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,645 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In the historical surname books, Hanks is usually treated as a shortened or altered form of Hankin, and therefore part of the large family of surnames ultimately connected with John. Hankin was a medieval diminutive, so Hanks would originally have meant something like “son of Hankin” or “descendant of Hank.” Because Hankin itself was a pet form used in several related naming traditions, the deeper root is not always one single name in every case, though John is the most common explanation.
History
Early references place the name in southern and southeastern England, which fits its medieval English development. Nineteenth-century surname writers also note that Hanks is related to Hankin and Hankinson, and sometimes compare it with other surnames that lost a final -in or -ins ending. The name later spread widely in England and, through migration, to North America and other English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
English surname dictionaries often group Hanks with a whole cluster of names like Hankin, Hankins, and Hankinson, showing how one medieval nickname could generate several modern surnames.
From the historical record
“HAJs'KIXSOX. See Hankin. HANKS. See Hankin. HAN]\IER. A parish in Flintshire. . The name was assumed from that place by its owner, Sir .lohn Hamner, temp. Edw. I. The original name of the family is said to have been Mackfel. See Burke's Ext. Baronetage. The estate is still in the”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom