Hardesty
An English surname of local origin, likely meaning “from Hardolf’s sty” or a similar place-name built from the personal name Hardolf.
The #3,316 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 28,543 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally treated as a habitational surname from an English place-name formed with a personal name plus Old English "stīġ" or "sty," meaning a pigsty, enclosure, or small farmyard. The excerpt specifically connects it with "Hardolf," an old personal name built from the Germanic element meaning "wolf." In this reading, Hardesty would originally have meant someone who came from or lived by "Hardolf’s sty."
History
The surname appears in English records in several spellings, including forms like Hardesty, Hardisty, and Hardistry. It later became established as a hereditary surname and was carried to North America, where the modern spelling Hardesty is now especially familiar. The historical explanation is not perfectly secure, but the place-name interpretation is the one supported by the excerpted source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old personal name behind the etymology, Hardolf, contains the Germanic wolf element that turns up in many medieval names.
From the historical record
“London, 5 ; MDB. (co. Lincoln), i. Hardiaty, Hardesty, Har- distry. — Local, ' of Hardolfsty,' i.e. the sty of Hardolf, Hardolf being the personal name (one of the endless compounds of Ulf) of the original settler ; «f. Thorpinsty”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)