Hewett
A diminutive of Hugh, meaning “little Hugh” or “son of Hugh.”
The #5,489 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,729 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hewett is an English surname formed as a diminutive of the personal name Hugh, with the familiar ending -et meaning “little” or “young.” The name therefore originally meant something like “little Hugh” and was used as a patronymic surname for a descendant or family member of a man named Hugh. Related forms include Hewitt, Hewetson, Hewitson, and Howett.
History
The surname appears in medieval English records in several spelling forms, reflecting the common medieval pet form of Hugh. Later dictionaries treat Hewett and its relatives as closely connected family-name variants rather than separate origins. The name is most strongly established in England, especially in areas where surname forms from Hugh were common.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Hewett, Hewitt, and Hewetson together as branch forms of the same underlying name.
From the historical record
“HE WET SON. See Hewett. HEWETT. A diminutive of Hugh, and hence Hewitt, Hewetson, and Hewitson. HEWGILL. Probably Howgill, a cha- pelry in Yorkshire. HEWISH. A parish in Wiltshire. HEWITT. See Hewett. HEWLETT. Perhaps a diminutive of Hugli.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom