Hodnutt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hodnutt was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman name Odinet, from which the more commonly known Odo is derived.

Early Origins of the Hodnutt family

The surname Hodnutt was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Hodnutt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hodnutt research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hodnutt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hodnutt Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Hodnutt, Hadnet, Hadnett, Hudnutt, Hudnett and others.

Early Notables of the Hodnutt family

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

Migration of the Hodnutt family to Ireland

Some of the Hodnutt 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.

Migration of the Hodnutt family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Hodnutt name or one of its variants: Humphrey Hadnett settled in Virginia in 1635; Charles and James Hodnett arrived in Philadelphia in 1856; Francis Hadnett arrived in Boston in 1767; William Hadnett arrived in Philadelphia in 1864..