Hendershot
An English-sounding surname that is most likely a later altered form of a German name such as Henderscheid or a related variant, rather than a transparent English compound.
The #5,805 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,777 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is not well explained by the excerpts, which only show it as an established surname in 19th-century Canada and the United States. Its form suggests an altered or Anglicized immigrant surname, and scholars commonly compare it with German surnames built on a personal name plus a place-name ending such as -scheid, though the exact source is not certain. In English, the spelling can look like a compound of Hender- and shot, but that is probably misleading rather than the true origin.
History
By the mid-1800s, Hendershot was already in use in Canada and the United States, including among families in Ontario and in American directories. The surname is most often encountered in North American records, which fits a history of spelling adaptation after immigration. Because the historical excerpts do not give an etymology, the deeper origin remains uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century compiler noted Hendershot as one of several surnames then common in Canada, showing it was already a familiar North American name by that time.
From the historical record
“Mr. Buckler lives at Montreal ; Mr. Halbert, at Toronto, C.W. ; Mr. Ponton, at Belleville, C.W. Hendershot is a common name in Canada, as at Cashmere, C.W., and Jarvis, C.W., &c. Mr. Parry- man lives at Acton, C.W. ; Mr. Guard, at Hamilton, C. W. ; Mr. Spearin, at St. Nicholas, C. E. ; Mr. Shotter, at Erin, C.AV. …”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)