Hume
A surname most often tied to place names, especially the old Berwickshire stronghold of Hume.
The #5,301 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,972 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hume is usually explained as a locational surname. In Scottish usage it points to the ancient village and fortress of Hume in Berwickshire; in English records it can also be linked with place-names built on Old English elements meaning a sandy brook or a nook/corner, depending on the branch of the family. The name therefore began as a label for someone who came from, or lived near, a place called Hume, Home, Hulme, or a related form.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Scotland, where the powerful Home/Hume family of the Borders helped make the name prominent. English bearers may be connected with several unrelated local surnames that later converged in spelling, including forms written Hume, Home, and Hulme. Over time the spelling Hume became fixed in some families, while others retained Home or migrated into Ulster and beyond.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The best-known Scottish Hume family took its name from a Border stronghold, not from the philosophical surname of the writer David Hume's broader fame alone.
From the historical record
“HUjMBY. Places in Lincolnshire. HUME. An ancient village and fortress in Berwickshire. The Homes or Humes HUH 166 HUR”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom