Hens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Hens name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the parish of Heene, which is now part of Worthing in the county of Sussex. The surname Hens belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname Hens may also be derived from the personal name Henry.

Early Origins of the Hens family

The surname Hens was first found in Sussex, where evidence suggests they held a family seat before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Hens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hens research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1639, 1673, 1675 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Hens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hens 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 Hens has undergone many spelling variations, including Hen, Henn, Henne, Heene, Hene and others.

Early Notables of the Hens family

Distinguished members of the family include Hugh Henn, page of the bedchamber to James I and Charles I, and later appointed Keeper of the Queen's Garden, Greenwich in 1639; and his son, Henry Hene (or Henn) (died 1708), an English-born judge who became Chief...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hens family to Ireland

Some of the Hens family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hens 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 Hens were among those contributors:

Hens Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Martin Hens, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Hens (post 1700) +

Hens Dekkers (1915-1966), Dutch boxer

Citations +

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)