Hinshaw
A surname most likely from a place name or lost English local name, later carried into the English-speaking world by migration.
The #7,463 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,132 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hinshaw is generally treated as an English locational surname, probably from a now-lost or altered place-name rather than from a common everyday word. The ending -shaw points to Old English sceaga, meaning a wood or copse, while the first element is uncertain and may preserve a personal name or an older local feature. Because the place behind the surname is not securely identified, the exact literal meaning remains uncertain.
History
The name is of English origin and appears in records as a hereditary surname, later established in Britain and especially in English-speaking North America. Like many surnames formed from lost or obscure place-names, its spelling could vary over time, which helps explain related forms such as Hinchaw or Hinshaw in some records. It is now most familiar in the United States, where it survives as a relatively uncommon surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The final element -shaw is a very old place-name word for a small wood, which appears in many English surnames and place names.