Show ContentsHinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hinson is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from a nickname as in "son of the hine (hind.)" 1

Early Origins of the Hinson family

The surname Hinson was first found in Yorkshire, where we find Henry Hynson, Ellen Hyneson and Thomas Hynson, "ploghwryght," (plough wright) listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Henry and Thomas were either brothers or father and son, and were the scions of their respective branches of the family name. 1

Early History of the Hinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hinson research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1507, 1617, 1644 and 1673 are included under the topic Early Hinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hinson 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 Hinson has undergone many spelling variations, including Hinson, Hineson, Hindson, Hyneson, Hynson and others.

Early Notables of the Hinson family

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

Hinson Ranking

In the United States, the name Hinson is the 1,660th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Hinson family to Ireland

Some of the Hinson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hinson 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 Hinson were among those contributors:

Hinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ralph Hinson, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 3
  • William Hinson, who landed in Maryland in 1650 3
  • Thomas Hinson, who landed in Maryland in 1651 3
  • Thomas Hinson, who arrived in Maryland in 1651-1662 3
  • Ann Hinson, who landed in Maryland in 1651 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Hinson, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 3
  • Oril Hinson, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
  • Ore Hinson, who arrived in Virginia in 1724 3
Hinson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Hinson, who settled in Philadelphia in 1812
  • Martin Hinson, who settled in Mobile, Alabama in 1852
  • Martin Hinson, aged 28, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 3
  • Andrew Hinson, who arrived in Arkansas in 1896 3

Hinson migration to Australia +

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

Hinson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mary Hinson, English convict from Lincoln, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
  • Richard Hinson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Stebonheath" in 1849 5
  • Mr. Thomas Hinson, British Convict who was convicted in Boston, Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Corona" on 13th October 1866, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 6

Hinson 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. 7
Hinson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Hinson, who sailed to St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
  • Jo Hinson, aged 21, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 3
  • Mr. John Hinson, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Hinson (post 1700) +

  • James L. "Jimbeau" Hinson Jr. (1952-2022), American country music singer-songwriter from Newton, Mississippi
  • John Hinson, award winning American pianist and composer
  • Vanessa K Hinson MD, Ph.D., American Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina
  • Howard Hinson, American geologist, engineer and oil company executive
  • David R. Hinson, American businessman, former head of Midway Airlines
  • Paul Hinson (1904-1960), American Major League Baseball player
  • Larry Hinson (b. 1944), American PGA professional golfer
  • Darnell Hinson (b. 1980), American basketball player
  • Barry Hinson (b. 1961), NCAA basketball coach


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEBONHEATH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Stebonheath.htm
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/corona
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  8. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm


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