Hazlett
A surname most likely from a place name meaning “hazel headland” or “hazel hill.”
The #6,611 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,278 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hazlett is generally taken as a locational surname, probably from a place called Hazlehead or a similar hazel-named locality. The first element is Old English hǣsel, meaning “hazel,” and the second is likely hēafod, “head,” used in place names for a headland, promontory, or hilltop. In this reading, the name would mean something like “hazel-covered headland” or “hazel hill.”
History
Bardsley explicitly links Hazlett with Hazlehead as a local surname, which is the strongest clue in the supplied sources. The name has also been recorded in forms such as Haslett, Hazlitt, and Hazzlett, reflecting ordinary spelling variation before standardization. In modern usage it is found mainly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States and the British Isles.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same hazel-root appears in several related surnames and place names, which is why Hazlett sits close to Hazlewood, Hazleton, and Hazley in older surname lists.
From the historical record
“-htad, -sidt, and -foot, are common terminals of local surnames; cf. Hazlett (Hazlehead) and Hazlefoot, Akenhead and Akenside. (a) Bapt. 'the son of Fot.' This has more evidence in its favour than (l). Among theundcr-tenants of Domes- day we find Emui Fot in co.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances