Show ContentsHone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the bearers of the Hone family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Hampshire where the name is derived from the Old English word "hon" which meant 'prominent stone or rock', often a boundary-stone. 1

Another noted source postulates the name is "probably Holne, a parish in Devonshire. There is, however, a Hone without prefix in the Hundredorum Rolls." 2

Early Origins of the Hone family

The surname Hone was first found in Hampshire Walkelin de Hone was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1200. Later, John and Thomas Hone were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1276 and 1279 in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Godfrey de la hone was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and James atte Hone was listed in Somerset in 1342. 1

Early History of the Hone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hone research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1276, 1279, 1296, 1342, 1455, 1487 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Hone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hone Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hone include Hone, Hoan, Hoyne, Hoin, O'Hoone, O'Hone, Hoan, Howen and many more.

Early Notables of the Hone family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Hone family of Devon

Hone Ranking

In the United States, the name Hone is the 14,296th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Hone family to Ireland

Some of the Hone family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hone migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hone or a variant listed above:

Hone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Hone, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 4
  • Peter Hone, who landed in Virginia in 1666 4
Hone Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ann Hone, who settled in America in 1754
  • Anthy Hone, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 4
Hone Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Bernh Hone, who settled in Baltimore in 1834
  • Gong Hone, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 4
  • Josephine Elis Hone, who landed in America in 1850 4
  • Denis Hone, who arrived in Boston in 1859
  • Catharine Hone, who settled in New York, NY in 1864
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hone Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. William Hone, (b. 1859), aged 42, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 6th June 1901 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 5

Hone migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hone Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Bridget Hone, aged 75 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Charles Walton" departing 24th June 1847 from Killala, Ireland; the ship arrived on 5th August 1847 but she died on board 6
  • Mr. Daniel Hone, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing 17th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 6
  • J. Hone, aged 45 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing 17th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but they died on board 6
  • Miss. Jemmy Hone, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing 17th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but she died on board 6
  • Mr. John Hone, aged 50 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 6

Hone migration to Australia +

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

Hone Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Henry Hone, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mrs. Maria Hone, (b. 1801), aged 28, Irish laundress who was convicted in Roscommon, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 2 children 8
  • Mr. Frederick Hone, English convict who was convicted in Newington, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Hone 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:

Hone Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Hone, aged 32, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dilharree" in 1875
  • Elizabeth Hone, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dilharree" in 1875
  • Sarah A. Hone, aged 18 mths., who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dilharree" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Hone (post 1700) +

  • James Hone, American Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University
  • Philip Hone (1780-1851), American diarist and politician, mayor of New York in 1825
  • William Hone (1780-1842), English writer and bookseller, eldest son of William Hone (1755–1831) and Frances Maria Stawell, his wife, born at Bath 3 June 1780 10
  • Mark Hone (b. 1968), English footballer
  • Margaret Hone (1892-1969), English astrologer
  • Niall Hone (b. 1970), English musician, member of the UK space rock band Hawkwind from 2008 to 2017
  • Richard Brindley Hone (1805-1881), English Anglican priest and author
  • Daniel Joseph "Danny" Hone (b. 1989), English contemporary footballer
  • William Hone (1780-1842), English writer and bookseller; best known for his successful litigious battle against government censorship in 1817 which marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom
  • Andrew Hone Ph.D., English Senior Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at the University of Kent
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  6. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 80)
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 4 August 2020


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