Family names in England originated after the time of William
the Conqueror and the names are said to originate primarily from
geographical features or occupations. The name Hunt is said to
be derived from the Saxon word hunti or wolf. In early days in
Great Britain (and elsewhere) wolves were a danger to flocks of
domestic animals and a bounty was paid for killing wolves. For
prowess in the “Hunt” for wolves, the name Hunt is presumed to
have been given a man proficient in that endeavor. Quite
possibly true. But it also follows that there would have been
many men in different locations of similar proficiency that may
well have assumed a similar name. So the assumption that the
name Hunt can be traced back to a single individual is as foolish
as the presumption that anyone can trace their ancestors back to
Adam and Eve (as some profess with great pride to do).
Records of Hunts (or variations thereof) have been found in
English records back as far as 1295. There were many English
families in various locations that bore the name Hunt, and many
of them were (and are) quite distinguished families authorized to
bear a Coat of Arms. There are many different variations of
Coats of Arms for different branches of the Hunt families in
England, and there are many genealogies in English records on the
Armorial Hunts of England. But to assume that these identified
families represent most or even a large part of the families
named Hunt in England is comparable to assuming that a list of
Hunts in Who’s Who represents a large part of the Hunt families
in America at the time. Few, if any, of the early Hunt families
of America before the 19th century can be traced through the Hunt
name back to the Armorial Hunts of England. For many of the
early Hunt immigrants to America, no evidence has been found of
where they came from or their ancestry.
Hunt Homestead 