HUTCHISON
Hutchison is a Scottish surname of patronymic origin, signifying *the son of Hugh*. It entered British usage in the late thirteenth century and has subsequently spread across the English‑speaking world.
The root of the name is the medieval personal name Huchon, a diminutive of Hugh. The name Hugh derives from the Old Germanic word hug, meaning *heart* or *soul*. Its popularity in Britain was aided by St. Hugh of Lincoln (1140‑1200), who founded the first Carthusian Monastery in England.
Records in the surviving medieval documents show that the patronymic form was in use by the end of the thirteenth century. A Huchun Aleyn appears in the 1277 Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, while a Gilbert Huchun is found in Sussex Subsidy Rolls dated 1296. By the late fourteenth century the surname was common in northern England and Scotland, where it appears in documents such as the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which list an Isota Huchonson.
Over the centuries Hutchison has developed several orthographic variants, including Hutchason, Hutchinson and Hutchins. These forms preserve the original patronymic meaning while reflecting regional spelling practices.
The name crossed the Atlantic during the early colonisation of North America. One of the earliest settlers to bear the name was John Hutchinson, who departed from the Port of London aboard the vessel Bonaventure for Virginia in January 1634. Subsequent church registers in Kent record marriages of individuals named William Hutchison (married Jane Pary in 1759) and Richard Hutchison (married Susanna Flood in 1776), indicating the establishment of Hutchison families in England and abroad.
A coat of arms has been granted to a Hutchison line, described as follows: *Argent a fess azure surmounted of three arrows, points downwards, meeting in base proper surmounted of a fess azure charged with a fox courant also proper. Crest – A stag’s head erased gules attired or*.
The surname remains predominantly Scottish in origin yet is well represented in other English‑speaking countries. Its etymological roots and historical record provide a clear lineage from a medieval personal name to a modern family identifier.
Typical given names associated with the Hutchison surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Laura
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Hutcheson
- Hutchinson
- Hutchings
- Hutchins
- Huchingson
- Hutchieson
- Huchison
- Hatchison
- Hitchison
- Hitchenson
- Hucheson
- Huchinson
- Hutchason
- Hutchesen
- Hutchesson
- Hutchinsons
- Hutchion
- Hutchis
- Hutchisson
- Hutchson
- Hutchuson
- Hichisson
- Hutchenson
- Hutchigs
- Hutchingson
- Hutchirson
- Hutchnson
- Hutchonson
- Hutcison
- Hutkinson
- Hussian
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Hutchison in...
Braille
⠓⠥⠞⠉⠓⠊⠎⠕⠝
Morse
......---.-..........----.
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Hutchison are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Custard Cream.
There are approximately 9,909 people named Hutchison in the UK. That makes it the 937th most common surname in Britain. Around 152 in a million people in Britain are named Hutchison.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Hutchison
- Scott Hutchison - Scottish musician (1981 to 2018)
- Don Hutchison - Scottish football player
- Ken Hutchison - Actor
- Tommy Hutchison - Scottish football player and manager
- Michael Hutchison - Politician (1914 to 1993)
- Grant Hutchison - Musician
- Terence Wilmot Hutchison - Economist (1912 to 2007)
- Alice Hutchison - Doctor who served in first world war (1874 to 1)
- Robert Hutchison, 1st Baron Hutchison of Montrose - Army general (1873 to 1950)
- Lynne Hutchison - Olympic gymnast
- Sir James Hutchison, 1st Baronet - Politician (1893 to 1979)
- Paul Hutchison - County cricketers
- Ian Clark Hutchison - Politician (1903 to 2002)
- Jock Hutchison - Golfer (1884 to 1977)
- Balfour Oliphant Hutchison - Scottish soldier (1889 to 1967)
- Duncan Hutchison - Football player (1904 to 1)
- William Ramsay Hutchison - Scottish rugby union player (1889 to 1918)
- Richard Hutchison - Canadian politician (1812 to 1891)
- John Hutchison - Sculptor (1833 to 1910)
- James Hutchison - Australian politician (1859 to 1909)
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.