Hill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


Hill is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hill family lived near or on a hill. Hill, which was extremely popular and widely distributed in England, is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently. The name was originally derived from the Old English hyll, which simply meant hill or dweller by the hill. 1

Early Origins of the Hill family

The surname Hill was first found in Worcestershire, where one line is descended from the De Montes of Castlemorton in Worcestershire. The manor of Hillend in Castlemorton, Worcester was likely built on land held by Odo de Monte, or Hill, in 1238-9. Richard Hill of Castlemorton is mentioned in 1383 and John Hill of Castlemorton in 1408-9. John Hill died about 1623 holding a "messuage" at Hillend, which then passed to his son Thomas. 2

Other early records of the name include Gilbert del Hill, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1191; William "attehil" (literally at the hill,) who was listed in 1260 in the Assize Rolls of Cornwall, and Simon Hille who was listed in the Rotuli Hundredorum for Worcestershire of 1273. 1

Again in Cornwall, "the rectory of St. Keverne, which had been appropriated to the priory of Beaulieu in Hampshire, was afterward for many years in the family of Hill. About the middle of the last century, the great tithes were sold by this family to the occupiers of the several estates, for a term of 999 years." 3

Scotland was another ancient homeland for the family. In this case, the first record was William de la Hyll, son of Waldeve son of Aldewyn, who resigned lands in Mydilham in 1271. William o' the Hill rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296 and in 1321 William de le Hille was received to the king of England's peace." It was Richard de Hulle (Hill), 'a varlette of Scotland,' who 'stikked and killed' Catarine Mortimer, 'a damoisel of London,' one of the inmates of the harem of David II in 1360." 4

Early History of the Hill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hill research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1484, 1549, 1559, 1589, 1595, 1597, 1601, 1602, 1605, 1628, 1629, 1635, 1642, 1649, 1657, 1663, 1667, 1672, 1685, 1692, 1694, 1695, 1699, 1711, 1721, 1727, 1734, 1735, 1736, 1749, 1750, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hill Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Hill, Hille, Hyll, Hills and others.

Early Notables of the Hill family

Distinguished members of the family include

Hill World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hill is the 33rd most popular surname with an estimated 465,069 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Hill is ranked the 73rd most popular surname with an estimated 32,716 people with that name. 6 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Hill is the 441st popular surname with an estimated 106 people with that name. 7 France ranks Hill as 6,613rd with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 8 Australia ranks Hill as 31st with 48,017 people. 9 New Zealand ranks Hill as 41st with 5,499 people. 10 The United Kingdom ranks Hill as 30th with 105,702 people. 11 South Africa ranks Hill as 861st with 8,118 people. 12

Migration of the Hill family to Ireland

Some of the Hill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hill migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Hill or a variant listed above were:

Hill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Hill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Hill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Hill Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Hill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hill Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Hill Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Hill migration to Australia +

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

Hill Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Hill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Hill 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:

Hill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Hill migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 23
Hill Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Hill (post 1700) +


The Hill Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Avancez
Motto Translation: Advance.


Suggested Readings for the name Hill +
Fastest Delivery Possible

Digital Products on Checkout, all other products filled in 1 business day

Money Back Guarantee

Yes, all products 100% Guraranteed

BBB A+ Rating

The Best Rating possible

Secure Online Payment

Entire site uses SSL / Secure Certificate