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Hans History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Hans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The generations and branches of the Hans family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Hans 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 Hans family

The surname Hans 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 Hans family

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

Hans 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 Hans include Hand, Hands and others.

Early Notables of the Hans family

More information is included under the topic Early Hans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hans Ranking

In the United States, the name Hans is the 8,056^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Hans is ranked the 2,850^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Hans family to Ireland

Some of the Hans 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.

Hans 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 Hans or a variant listed above:

Hans Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tryntje Hans, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1646 7
Nicola Hans, who landed in Virginia in 1651 7
Jan Hans, aged 29, who landed in New York in 1659 7
Jude Hans, who landed in Virginia in 1664 7
Richard Hans, who landed in Virginia in 1665-1666 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hans Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hanis Hans, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 7
Michael Hans, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 7
Rudolf Hans, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1734 7
Hieronimus Hans, who landed in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1740 7
Johan Peter Hans, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1740 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hans Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Albert Hans, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Element"
Mr. Ludwig Hans, aged 30, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1847 aboard the ship "Chas. N. Cooper"
Joh Stephan Hans, who arrived in America in 1847 7
Jakob Hans, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 7
Johannes Hans, who arrived in North America in 1851 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hans migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hans Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Edward Hans U.E. who settled in Kitley [Elizabethtown-Kitley], Leeds and Grenville, Ontario c. 1784 8

Hans migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hans Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Hans, (Suyman), (b. 1809), aged 27, British gardener who was convicted in Cape of Good Hope, South Africa for life for theft, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Hans (post 1700) +

Karl Hans Berger (1935-2023), German jazz pianist, composer, and educator
John Hans Krebs (b. 1926), California politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 17th congressional district (1975–1979)
Kurt Hans Biedenkopf (1930-2021), German politician who served as the first Minister President of the Free State of Saxony from 1990 until 2002, and as the 54th president of the Bundesrat in 1999 and 2000
Werner Hans Erhard (b. 1935), born John Paul Rosenberg, American critical thinker and author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations, founder of Werner Erhard and Associates (1981-1991)
Karl Hans Albrecht (1920-2014), German entrepreneur who co-founded the discount supermarket chain Aldi who according to Forbes was ranked 10th in its 2012 list of billionaires
Nils Hans Lindman (1884-1957), Swedish footballer at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Hermann Hans Wetzler (1870-1943), German conductor and composer, founder of the Wetzler Symphony Orchestra
Michael Hans Kaiser (b. 1963), Australian politician
Ole Hans Bentzen (b. 1906), Danish civil engineer
Ulrich Hans Walter (b. 1954), German physicist/engineer and a former astronaut with 9 days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes in space

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/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden