Hogue
A surname of Norman-French origin, probably taken from a place-name meaning “hill” or “small hill.”
The #2,213 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,761 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hogue is generally explained from a Norman word meaning a hill, mound, or small height. The name is often linked with places in Normandy such as La Hogue or Le Hogue, and the same root also appears in Norman dialect words for a hillock. In this sense, the surname began as a locational name for someone who came from, or lived near, such a place.
History
The name is strongly associated with Normandy and entered English usage through Norman influence after the Conquest. Historical references in the older dictionaries connect it with the Cotentin and with place-names on the Norman coast. In English-speaking countries it survives as both Hogue and related spellings such as Hogue/Hogge in older records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Norman place-name element is found in Cape la Hogue, a well-known coastal landmark in Normandy.
From the historical record
“RI«r*„ A,Gf«rdt, ,3,, : ibid. p. ,78. „r^"".'' " P"^ «' ">e extremity i-oiJ™, 1. « *" """nil* of La Hogue in Orenvme, OranvelL Oran- ^r^^^ndy, is supposed to have ylUe.- Local,' of Grenville,' doubt- ^^^ "^^ '" '*■= Lord of Greville the same as Granville «?^'""'^"""P^'ed the Conqueror- liar seaport of Lowir N«r_…”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances