Show ContentsHodes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hodes comes from one of the family having worked as a maker of hoods. The surname Hodes is derived from the Old English words hod, hud, hood, and hodde, which all come from the Old English word hod, which means hood. [1] [2]

Occasionally, Hodes may be a local surname derived from the settlement of Hood in Rattery in Devon. "In the poem 'Robin Hood(e) and Guy(e) of Gisborne' the name is variantly Hood and Hoode; but the form is Hode in 'A Lytell Geste [Story] of Robyn Hode.'" [3]

"The leader of the Surrey men in A.D. 853 was named Huda (Anglo-Saxon Chron., s.a.)." [4]

Early Origins of the Hodes family

The surname Hodes was first found in Devon where Osberus Hod was the first record of the name in the source Old English Bynames c. 1100-1130. In Cambridgeshire, Walter Hod was listed there c. 1200 and Gilbert Hodde was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1225. Robert Hood (Hod) was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1230 and Philip Hodde, Hudde was found in Canterbury in 1305. [5]

In Somerset, John Hod was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) [6] The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included the name in a compound forms: Matilda Hud-doghter and Emma Hud-wyf. [7]

In Scotland, "a composition between Andrew, bishop of Moray and Robert Hude (or Hod) relating to the manor of Lamanbrid was made in 1225. Robertus Hud of Leth (Leith), witness in an Inchcolm charter c. 1220-26. Robertus Hod received a payment from the sheriff of Aberdeen, 1264." [4]

Early History of the Hodes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hodes research. Another 256 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1220, 1264, 1320, 1332, 1447, 1467, 1524, 1567, 1573, 1582, 1598, 1668, 1689, 1724, 1752, 1758, 1762, 1798, 1814, 1816 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hodes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hodes Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hodes have been found, including: Hood, Hoods, Hude, Hud, Hudd, Hode, Hoode and others.

Early Notables of the Hodes family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Hood (fl. 1582-1598), the English mathematician, son of Thomas Hood, a merchant tailor of London, entered Merchant Taylors' School 7 Nov. 1567, and matriculated at Cambridge as a pensioner of Trinity College in November 1573. [8] Paul Hood D.D. (died 1668), was an English academic administrator at the University of Oxford. Viscount Samuel...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hodes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Hodes family to Ireland

Some of the Hodes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hodes family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Hodes, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were : Adam Hood who settled in New Jersey in 1685; John Hood settled in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1630; Thomas Hood settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682.


Contemporary Notables of the name Hodes (post 1700) +

  • Stuart Hodes (1924-2023), American dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, dance administrator and author in New York City
  • General Henry Irving Hodes (1899-1962), American Commander in Chief US Army Europe (1956-1959) [9]
  • Susan Hodes, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1996 [10]
  • Scott Hodes, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1980 [10]
  • Philip Hodes, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 9th District, 1948 [10]
  • Paul W. Hodes (b. 1951), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire 2nd District, 2007-; Defeated, 2004; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 2008 [10]
  • Hyman Hodes, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 4th District, 1933, 1934, 1935 [10]
  • Barnet Hodes, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1932 (alternate), 1936 (alternate), 1940 (alternate), 1944 (alternate), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 [10]


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  7. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  8. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  9. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) Henry Hodes. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hodes/Henry_Irving/USA.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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