Hartung
A German surname most likely built on an old Germanic personal name beginning with Hart-, meaning “hard,” “strong,” or “brave.”
The #6,578 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 59,974 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hartung is generally treated as a surname formed from an old Germanic name base Hart-, a word associated with strength, hardness, or courage. The ending -ung here is best understood as part of a medieval personal-name formation that later became hereditary as a family name. Some 19th-century writers connect it with older names such as Harding or Harting, and several note that it can appear as a German patronymic-type surname.
History
The name is especially associated with German naming practice, and later turned up in neighboring regions such as the Netherlands through German influence. Historical onomastic writers also grouped it with related forms like Harting and Hartong, suggesting a family of surnames built from the same Hart- base. In the modern era it remains most common in German-speaking populations and their descendants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older scholarship sometimes treated Hartung as part of a wider cluster of surnames built from Hart-, the same root found in many Germanic names meaning “hard” or “brave.”
From the historical record
“Hartog. F. de Herzog. Hartung. F. du vieux nom germ. Harding (aguerri-jeune), 7G2. Hartus, Harty. Semblent des formes latinisées du vieux nom germ. Hart : dur, aguerri. Hartus”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)