Horn
A surname that can come from a horn sign, a place-name, or an old nickname or personal-name form.
The #655 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,922 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is historically tangled. The medieval records and later surname writers show it used as a sign-name or nickname, and also as a locational surname from a place called Horn in Kent. In some cases it may also preserve an old personal name, rather than referring directly to the object "horn."
History
Bardsley notes medieval examples such as de Horne and atte Horn, showing both locational and topographical usage. The name was established in England by the 13th century and later remained common enough to develop several parallel origins in different families. Because those origins overlap, modern Horn families do not all share the same root.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old phrase atte Horn literally means "at the horn," a clue that some early bearers were named from a landmark or sign rather than from a personal name.
From the historical record
“Estate, &c. [usual A.-Sax. dat. form 'set Niwantiine,' horn niwe SLDd tiin] Ic ^Ifgyfu se6 hl{^fdige, Eadweardes cyninges m6dor, geserndede set Cnute cyninge mlnum hldforde faet land set NiwantHne.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)