Hyatt
Usually a locational surname, most likely from a place-name such as Highgate or another “high” place.
The #1,863 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,014 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hyatt is generally treated as a locational name. The 19th-century surname writers connect it with a place meaning “high,” and Bardsley specifically glosses it as local, comparing it with forms like Hyett and suggesting a link to Highgate. More broadly, it may reflect residence near or at a high place or settlement with a similar name.
History
Hyatt appears in English records in several spelling forms, including Hyett and Hyat, and was later carried to North America. The surname is not among the most common English names, but it is well enough established to have multiple independent spellings in historical registers. In some cases, later writers also pointed to possible connections with places such as Ayott/Higham, so the exact local source can vary by family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century anecdote in one surname dictionary even notes a U.S. Senator named Hyatt, showing the name’s presence in early American public life.
From the historical record
“Hiua^, HuBS«T ; v. Hussey. Hyatt— Local ; v. HycU. Hyde, Hldo.— Local, 'at the hide,' from residence thereby. Hide, a measure of land of about lao acres ; A.S. iilJ, Numberless”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances