Hedge
A mainly English surname from a hedge or enclosed boundary, originally marking where someone lived.
The #8,641 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,142 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hedge comes from Old English and Middle English words for a hedge, fence, or enclosed boundary, ultimately related to the idea of a protected or bounded place. As a surname, it was likely first given to someone who lived by a hedge, boundary hedge, or enclosed plot of land. The related historical forms often overlap with spellings such as Hay, Haye, and Hedges.
History
The dictionaries treat Hedge as a shortened form or variant related to Hedges, and they connect it with other English surnames formed from topographic features like hedges and enclosures. Such names were especially common in medieval England, when people were often identified by the landscape feature nearest their home. The surname is relatively uncommon in modern U.S. records, but it is firmly established in English surname tradition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older English usage, hay and hey could mean a hedge or fenced enclosure, not just modern “hay” from grass.
From the historical record
“B.L.G. HEDGE. See Hedges. HEDGELER. Probably the ffg-iVZarms of feudal times ; a " hayn-cml," or keeper of cattle in a field fed in common by many tenants. "Towns and villages had their lieytvards to supervise the greater cattle, or common herd of kiue and oxen, and keep them within due bounds ; and if they were…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom