HYMAN
The surname Hyman is historically linked to the Hebrew personal name Chayyim, which translates as "life". It is a patronymic surname that originally identified the descendants of an individual named Chayyim, and it is commonly found within Jewish communities.
In addition to its Hebrew roots, the spelling Hyman has long been recorded in the English language as derivative of the place name Higham. Higham is the name of several localities across England, including Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Suffolk, and Yorkshire. The earliest documentary attestations appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the names are rendered as Echam, Hecham and Heiham, all of which share the meaning "high homestead". The Sussex settlement of Higham is even noted in 1200 as Iham, signifying an island within a water-meadow. A further early record is the 1176 Essex Pipe Roll entry for Osward de Hecham during the reign of Henry XI.
The Jewish form of the surname was introduced into England after 1655, when Oliver Cromwell lifted restrictions on Jewish immigration. Many Ashkenazi Jews adopted English surnames that were either phonetically similar or corresponded in spelling to Hebrew words. Early English records include a 1327 Poll‑Tax roll reference to Robertus de Hegham in Yorkshire and a 1445 will entry for John Higham of Cheshire. A 1587 christening record documents a John Higham in Garstang, Lancashire. The name’s presence in the United States dates back to the early 18th century with figures such as Phillip Hyman, a lawyer who arrived in Philadelphia from Prussia in 1774.
According to the 2020 United States Census, the surname appears among approximately 41,346 individuals. It remains common in large metropolitan areas on the East Coast, such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, as well as in the Mid‑West city of Chicago. The name is also widely found in Israel, the United Kingdom and Canada, reflecting migration from Russia, Germany and other parts of Eastern Europe. Variants that appear in official records include Hymen, Hymon, Hyams, Heyman, Heiman, and Heimann, among others.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Hyman include American guitarist Tom Hyman, television producer Gary Hyman and author Steve Hyman. The surname is often associated with strong family values and pride in Jewish heritage, attributes that many bearers claim to uphold. The coat of arms historically linked to the name features a blue field with a silver bend cotised.
Typical given names associated with the Hyman surname
Male
- Adam
- Andrew
- Daniel
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Orrett
- Paul
- Philip
- Richard
Female
- Barbara
- Elaine
- Emma
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Lianne
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Hyman in...
Braille
⠓⠽⠍⠁⠝
Morse
....-.----.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,747 people named Hyman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,706th most common surname in Britain. Around 27 in a million people in Britain are named Hyman.
Religion of origin: Jewish
Language of origin: Hebrew
Famous people named Hyman
- Jeffrey Ross Hyman - American musician and singer-songwriter (1951 to 2001)
- Anthony A. Hyman - Biologist, Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology & Genetics
- Dorothy Hyman - Athlete
- Kemar Hyman - Sprint athlete from the Cayman Islands
- John Hyman - Philosopher
- Robin Hyman - Publisher (1931 to 2017)
- Prudence Hyman - Ballerina and actress (1914 to 1995)
- James Hyman - DJ
- Martin Hyman - Long-distance runner
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.