Hasty
A surname that likely began as a nickname for someone quick, eager, or impetuous.
The #5,244 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,400 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hasty is generally understood as a nickname surname from the adjective hasty, meaning quick, brisk, or impetuous. The word goes back through Middle English to older Germanic roots tied to swiftness and sharpness of manner. As with many such surnames, it would originally have described a person's temperament or movements rather than being a family name in the modern sense.
History
The surname is found in English records and fits a common medieval naming pattern in which personal traits became hereditary surnames. Historical surname writers also connect it with related nicknames such as Speed or Speedy, reinforcing the sense of quick movement or a lively disposition. In Irish contexts, some similar-looking forms may overlap with anglicized Gaelic names, so not every modern Hasty family necessarily has the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same nickname idea appears in a number of other surnames built from speed or temperament, showing how often medieval bynames turned into lasting family names.
From the historical record
“named Richin or Rechin [O.Fr. rechin, rude, rough ; f. reche, M.H.Ger. resche, roesche, O.H.Ger. r6sc{i, sharp, active, hasty] " a cause de son humeur rude et aspre " (Larchey, pp. 405, 412). RICHING = Richin (q.v.) with added E. -g.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)