Contents [hide]

Hough History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The lineage of the name Hough begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived near a hill or steep ridge of land. The surname Hough is usually derived from the Old English word hoh, which means heel or projecting ridge of land. However, it is sometimes derived from the Old Norse word haugr, which means mound or hill. Furthermore, the name Hough may be derived from residence in one of a variety of similarly named places: Hoe is in Norfolk, Hoo is in Kent, places called Hooe are in Devon and Sussex, Hose is in Leicestershire, places named Heugh are in Durham and Northumberland, and settlements called Hough are found in both Cheshire and Derby.

Early Origins of the Hough family

The surname Hough was first found in Cheshire at Hough, a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East which dates back to the 13th century when it was first listed as Hohc. [1] [2] [3]

Dusting off some centuries-old records we found, Wilielmus de Huff, registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. [4]

The name is "especially common in Bedfordshire and Northants, fairly so in Suffolk, Essex, Herts and Bucks, and very common in Northumberland and Durham. The nominative singular gives Hough, in Scotland and Northern England Heugh." [5]

Early History of the Hough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hough research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1564, 1618, 1651, 1660, 1681, 1687, 1699, 1717 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Hough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hough Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hough has undergone many spelling variations, including Hough, Huff, Houfe, Hoff, Hoffe and others.

Early Notables of the Hough family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Hough (1651-1743), Bishop of Oxford (1699), and later Bishop of Worcester (1717), best known for the confrontation over his election as President at Magdalen College, Oxford (1681-1687.) He was "...

Hough Ranking

In the United States, the name Hough is the 2,002^nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [6] However, in the United Kingdom, the name Hough is ranked the 899^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,615 people with that name. [7]

Migration of the Hough family to Ireland

Some of the Hough family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hough migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hough were among those contributors:

Hough Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Artherton Hough, (Hoffe), mayor of Boston, England who sailed to Boston, MA aboard the ship "Griffin" in 1633, he became the assistant to the governor of Massachusetts. [8]
Mrs. Elizabeth Hough, (Hoffe), who arrived in Boston aboard the ship "Griffin" in 1633, with her husband [9]
John Hough, who landed in Maryland in 1679 [8]
Richard Hough, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1683 [8]
Samuel Hough, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 [8]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hough Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Hough, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 [8]
Petter Hough, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 [8]
Philip Hough, who landed in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1743 [8]
George Hough, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1744 [8]
Hans Jurg Hough, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 [8]

Hough Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hough, who arrived in New York, NY in 1837 [8]
Robert Hough, who arrived in Mississippi in 1853 [8]
Joseph T Hough, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1866 [8]

Hough migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hough Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Barnabas Hough U.E. who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1784 [10]
Mr. Broner Hough U.E. who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1784 [10]
Mr. Elijah Hough U.E. who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1784 [10]
Mr. James Hough U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 [10]
Mr. John Hough U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1784 [10]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hough migration to Australia +

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

Hough Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Hough, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [11]
Edward Hough, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [12]
Mr. Peter Hough, English convict who was convicted in Plymouth, Devon, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [13]
Mr. William Hough, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [14]
Mr. William Hough, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [15]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hough migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hough Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Hough, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842
William Hough, aged 34, a millwright, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1842
Ann Hough, aged 24, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1842
Ellen Susannah Hough, aged 5, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1842
Mary Ann Hough, aged 1, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hough (post 1700) +

Derek Hough (b. 1985), American three-time Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nominated dancer, choreographer, musician and actor from Salt Lake City, Utah
Charles "Champ" Hough Jr. (1934-2023), American equestrian and Olympic medalist at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Richard R. Hough (1917-1992), American engineer and executive at Bell Labs and AT&T, recipient of the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (1980)
George Washington Hough (1836-1909), American astronomer who discovered 627 double stars
David Hough (1753-1831), American politician, a farmer, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire (1803-1805)
David L. Hough (b. 1937), American writer on motorcycle rider safety, education and training
Walter Hough Ph.D. (1859-1935), American ethnologist
Julianne Alexandra Hough (b. 1988), American Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nominated professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress
Franklin B. Hough (1822-1885), American scientist, historian, and the first chief of the United States Division of Forestry
Emerson Hough (1857-1923), American author best known for writing western stories
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon