Hash

Etymology

This surname is usually explained as a habitational name from a place or topographic feature called “ash” or a similar local landmark, with the older prepositioned form recorded as Atte Hash. In medieval English surnames, “atte” meant “at the,” so the name would have meant “at the ash-tree” or “at the place/feature called Hash,” depending on the local source. Because the surviving historical evidence is thin, the exact underlying place or feature is not fully certain.

History

The medieval records and surname dictionaries cited here show Hash mainly as an English surname and as part of older byname forms such as Atte Hash. Over time, the leading preposition was dropped, leaving the shorter fixed surname. Modern bearers are relatively uncommon, and the name appears to have persisted chiefly in England and later in English-speaking countries.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

19th-century surname writers grouped Hash with a whole cluster of English names formed from ‘atte’ plus a location word, like Atte Hay and Atte Well.