Show ContentsHien History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the first family to use the name Hien lived among the Boernician tribe of ancient Scotland. They lived in Berwickshire. They held the barony of Home from very early times and possibly predate the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Home family is part of a noble lineage descending from the Earls of Dunbar, and the family of the Earl of Northumberland, the great Gospatrick, a descendent of the Kings of Bernicia. They first appear in the records in 1268, when William of Home appeared on a charter. They next appear (as so many of the prominent Scottish families do) in 1296, when Geffrai de Home of Lanarkshire swore an oath of allegiance (in the Ragman Rolls) to King Edward I of England after that king's brief conquest of Scotland.

Early Origins of the Hien family

The surname Hien was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland. They held the barony of Home from very early times, and possibly predate the Norman Conquest in 1066. There were many branches of the Hien family including the Homes of Cowdenknowes, the Homes of Wedderburn, the Homes of Manderston, the Homes of Renton, the Homes of Kames, and the Homes of Blackadder.

Early History of the Hien family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hien research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1456, 1468, 1506, 1560, 1569, 1604, 1609, 1641, 1645, 1648, 1671, 1696, 1698, 1702, 1724, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hien History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hien Spelling Variations

Boernician names that evolved in the largely preliterate Middle Ages are often marked by considerable spelling variations. Hien has been spelled Humes, Hum, Humme, Humm, Homes and others.

Early Notables of the Hien family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Sir Alexander Home or Hume (d. 1456), of Home, Warden of the Marches, the eldest son of Sir Alexander Home of Dunglass [1]; Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home (c.1468-1506), a Scottish nobleman and soldier, Lord Chamberlain of Scotland and Warden of the Eastern March; Alexander Hume (c.1560-c.1609), Scottish poet; Tobias Hume (c.1569-1645), a Scottish composer, viol player and...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hien Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Hien family to Ireland

Some of the Hien family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hien migration to the United States +

Some of the Boernician-Scottish Clan families who came to North America were Loyalists who went north to Canada after the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border went on to found two of the world's great nations. This century, families with Scottish roots have rediscovered their heritage through highland games and clan societies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Hien or a variant listed above:

Hien Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Hien, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1762 [2]


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. 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)


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