HACKETT
Hackett is an English and French surname with a documented presence in the British Isles since at least the eighth century.
The name is classified as a diminutive type and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as Hako. Subsequent entries include Hacke (1218), Haket (1160), and the earliest known spelling, Hacget, belonging to Ralph in the Fees Book of Durham Priory in 1131.
English etymology traces the surname to the medieval verb hakken or hacket, meaning to cut or chop. Practitioners of woodcutting or those who used small axe‑like tools for such work often acquired the surname as an occupational designation. A parallel French derivation is the Old French noun hacquet, denoting a small ax or hatchet, which also suggests the name arose as a nickname for a man who carried or employed such an instrument.
An additional origin is documented in Old Norse, where the byname Hali and Old Danish Hake were applied to individuals with a hooked nose. These names evolved in medieval England into Hack or Hake, and the surnames Hackett and Haggett emerged as diminutive forms. Records from Yorkshire in 1158, referring to Rolland Haget or Haket, show that both versions were used contemporaneously.
A notable marriage registered in London on 28 April 1802 involved William Hackett and Sarah Shepherd, indicating the surname’s persistence into the eighteenth century.
The most frequently associated heraldic achievement belongs to Sir Thomas Hackett, who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1688. The grant of arms described a red shield with three silver hakes, positioned horizontally, upon a golden chief bearing three trefoils slipped proper. The crest depicted an eagle displayed with two heads sable set above a mural coronet argent. The motto accompanying the arms was emblazoned as Spec mea Deus, meaning “My sight is God.”
Typical given names associated with the Hackett surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Joanne
- Julie
- Kathryn
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Hacket
- Halkett
- Haggett
- Hacking
- Halket
- Hachett
- Hackatt
- Hacketts
- Hacke
- Hacketh
- Hackets
- Hackitt
- Hacklett
- Hacknett
- Hact
- Hagate
- Haggat
- Haggata
- Haggate
- Haggatt
- Hagget
- Haggit
- Haggitt
- Haggot
- Haggott
- Hakata
- Hakda
- Haket
- Hakett
- Halketts
- Hasket
- Haskett
- Hawcett
- Hawcott
- Hawcutt
- Hawgood
- Hawket
- Hawkett
- Hawksett
- Haycett
- Haycot
- Haygood
- Hecate
- Heckett
- Hecquet
- Hect
- Hegde
- Heggate
- Heggett
- Heggitt
- Hegoda
- Hequet
- Heygate
- Hicket
- Hickett
- Higate
- Higgate
- Higgatt
- Higget
- Higgett
- Higgit
- Higgitt
- Higgot
- Higgott
- Highatt
- Highet
- Highett
- Higott
- Hocket
- Hockett
- Hockitt
- Hocquet
- Hogate
- Hogatt
- Hoggat
- Hoggatt
- Hogget
- Hoggett
- Hoggit
- Hoggitt
- Hoggott
- Hokett
- Hougat
- Hougate
- Houguet
- Houquet
- Howcott
- Howcutt
- Howgate
- Howkett
- Hucket
- Huckett
- Hugget
- Huggett
- Huggette
- Huggit
- Huggitt
- Hughett
- Hugot
- Huguet
- Huquet
- Hygate
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Hackett in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 9,474 people named Hackett in the UK. That makes it the 985th most common surname in Britain. Around 145 in a million people in Britain are named Hackett.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Hackett
- Steve Hackett - Musician, songwriter, singer, and producer
- Buddy Hackett - American actor and comedian (1924 to 2003)
- Leah Hackett - Actress
- John Hackett - Musician
- Keith Hackett - Football referee
- Liam Hackett - Activist
- John Hackett - Army general (1910 to 1997)
- Reeco Hackett-Fairchild - Football player
- Chris Hackett - Football player
- William Hackett - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1873 to 1916)
- Warren Hackett - Saint Lucian football player and coach
- Bernard Hackett - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.