Hurst
A habitational surname meaning “wood” or “copse,” originally taken from places named Hurst.
The #749 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,676 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hurst comes from Old English hyrst, meaning a wooded hill, wood, or copse. It became a place-name element in many parts of England, and later a surname for people who lived near, or came from, such a place. In some cases it appears in compound place-names such as Ashhurst, Crowhurst, or Parkhurst.
History
Historical surname dictionaries describe Hurst as a widespread English locational surname, especially associated with the south-east, where many places with -hurst survive. The name was also extended into many compound surnames formed from specific place-names. It is common in England and has remained well represented in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname manuals note that -hurst is so strongly tied to English place-names that it can help point genealogists toward a family’s likely regional roots.
From the historical record
“the cappers, hatmakers, and haberdashers. HURST. Parishes and places in Sussex, Berks, Kent, Hampshire, Northumberland, York, and many other counties. l@f HURST. A-Sax. hjrsf, a wood or forest--whence numerous names of ijlaces which have liecome surnames, as Ake- hurst, Brinkliurst, Crowhurst, Dighurst, Elmlnn-st.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom