Nuttall
An English surname from a place name meaning “nut hill” or a similar nut-tree locality.
The #9,884 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 94,389 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nuttall is generally taken from an English place name, especially Nuthall in Nottinghamshire, rather than directly from the common noun “nut.” The place-name element is usually explained from Old English hnutu, meaning “nut,” plus a topographic second element referring to a hill, slope, or clearing; older writers also suggested a nut-grove or nut-covered place. In short, the surname most likely meant someone who came from a place associated with nut trees.
History
Historical surname dictionaries repeatedly treat Nuttall as the same as Nuthall, and note it as a local English name. The spelling has varied over time, with forms such as Nuttal/Nuttall appearing in older records. Because the name is locational, it spread as people moved away from the original place and were identified by it.
Origin
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Fun fact
19th-century writers sometimes debated whether names like Nuttall came from a place-name meaning “nut hill” or from a personal name such as Canute, but the place-name explanation is the one most dictionaries prefer.
From the historical record
“Knott. NUTTALL. The same as Nuthall. NUTTER. See under Nutting. NUTTING. Ferguson derives this name and Nutt from Knut, or Canute, the Danish personal name ; and adds that the name of Knut was derived from a wen or tumour on his head. It is however Avorthy of remark, that the hazel, A-Sax. hnvt-hcum, gave rise to…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom