Han History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The generations and branches of the Han family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Han comes from the baptismal name for the son of John. The given name John was originally derived from the Dutch Hans or Han. 1

Alternatively, the name coule be "a nickname or sign-name [Old English hand, a hand]." 2

And another source notes it is an "ancient personal name. Hand and Hande are, however, surnames without prefix in Hundredorum Rolls. Mr. Ferguson says: "Walking through Handsworth in Staffordshire, and seeing the name of Hand upon the shops, I said to myself, ' Handsworth is the north or estate of a man called Hand, and these may be descendants of that man.'" 3

Early Origins of the Han family

The surname Han was first found in Cheshire where the name first appeared as a forename in the Assize Rolls of 1288, Honde Cottrell. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 included Richard Hand in Bedfordshire and later Robert Hind was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Walter Handes was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 4

In Yorkshire, The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls had a wide variety of entries: Hanse et uxor ejus; Matilda Han-wyfe; Thomas Hand; and Laurence Hande. 1

Early History of the Han family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Han research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1521, 1588, 1594 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Han History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Han Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Han include Hand, Hands and others.

Early Notables of the Han family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Hand of Cheshire

Han World Ranking

In the United States, the name Han is the 2,485^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Han is ranked the 959^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,622 people with that name. 6 And in New Zealand, the name Han is the 978^th popular surname with an estimated 766 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Han family to Ireland

Some of the Han family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Han migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Han or a variant listed above:

Han Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Han, who landed in Maryland in 1673 8

Han Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ludwig Han, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 8
Barbary Han, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 8
Jacob Han, aged 21, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 8
Christian Han, aged 19, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 8

Han Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacobus Han, who arrived in Ptnnsylvania in 1803 8
Henry Han, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 8
I De Han, aged 24, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1832 8
L Han, aged 22, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 8
Fred Han, who arrived in Alabama in 1858 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Han (post 1700) +

Wang Han (1991-2011), Chinese diver who won a silver medal at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games
Aram Han Sifuentes (b. 1986), Korean-born, American social practice fiber artist, writer, curator, and an adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Han Peekel (1947-2022), Dutch television producer, writer, radio- and television presenter
Han F. de Wit (b. 1944), Dutch psychologist
Han Adolf Asbach (b. 1904), German politician

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)