Hassett
Usually an Anglo-Irish surname, probably a shortened form of Blennerhassett in some families and possibly linked elsewhere to an older place-name or nickname origin.
The #9,132 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,338 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is uncertain, but one well-known explanation is that it is a shortened form of Blennerhassett, especially in Irish usage. Older writers also connected it with a place-name, such as de Hassell in Oxfordshire, suggesting a local or territorial origin for some bearers. A different line of speculation links it to an older nickname or personal-name element, but the evidence is not firm enough to treat that as settled.
History
Historical references place Hassett in Ireland and in parts of northern England, and 19th-century scholars specifically noted it as a common name in County Kerry. Some sources treat it as a contracted form of Blennerhassett, a family name well known in Ireland and Cumberland, which may explain its spread. Because the surname appears in more than one region and may have more than one origin, its history is best treated as mixed rather than singular.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers explicitly compared Hassett to other clipped family names such as Shaulks from Cruikshanks, showing how common surname shortening could be in local English usage.
From the historical record
“Local: De Hassell, co. Oxon. H.R. HASSETT. A common name in co. Kerr}"-. It is believed to be a contrac- tion of the surname Blenerhassett, just as Shaulcs is of Cruikshauks, Cott of Cotting- ham, and Mull of j\Ioliueux. HASTIE. Probably alludes to tempera- ment— quick, imi^ulsive. HASTINGS. That the town of…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom