Hornung History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany
Scotland

Hornung is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who carved objects out of horn or made musical instruments. This name was also given to a person who was employed as a hornblower; in the Middle Ages, workmen were often summoned to work by the blowing of a horn. The surname Hornung may also be a patronym derived from the personal name Horn. It may also be a local name given to someone who lived in one of the settlements of Horne in Rutland, Somerset, or Surrey, or near a bend, spur, or tongue of land.

Another source notes that the name is "a well-known Old English personal name, probably of Norse origin. Aluuin Horne was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086." 1

Early Origins of the Hornung family

The surname Hornung was first found in Middlesex and Hertfordshire where "Alwin Horne held lands before the making of the Domesday." 2 "The name of Horn or Horne, at present well represented around Wisbech, is also found in Kent. It was also represented in these two counties in the 13th century, as well as in London, Suffolk, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hunts, Northamptonshire, and Wiltshire." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam Honi in Wiltshire, Henry Horn in Northamptonshire, Walter Horn in Oxfordshire, and Roger de Horne in Kent. 4 Over in Somerset, Kirby's Quest listed: William atte Horn and Thomas atte Home, temp 1 Edward III (in the first year of Edward III's reign. 5

Andrew Horne (d. 1328), Chamberlain of London and legal writer, "born in London, carried on the trade of a fishmonger in Bridge Street. In 1315 he, with fifteen other fishmongers, was summoned before the sheriffs of London on a charge of using dorsers or baskets 'not of rightful measure.' Horn and one other person were acquitted. He was elected chamberlain of the city in January 1319." 6

Further to the north in Scotland, "John Horn was beaten and evil-treated on the Border, 1279." 1 The "border" referenced was indeed the infamous border between England and Scotland, and events such as this may have precipitated King Edward I's intrusion into Scotland that took place in 1296.

Early History of the Hornung family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hornung research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1279, 1400, 1404, 1406, 1407, 1434, 1487, 1510, 1540, 1560, 1565, 1568, 1579, 1580, 1581, 1584, 1587, 1610, 1614, 1640, 1654 and 1676 are included under the topic Early Hornung History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hornung Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hornung has appeared include Horn, Horne, Athorne, Athorn and others.

Early Notables of the Hornung family

Notables of the family at this time include Henry Horne (fl. 1400-1434), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Kent in 1404 and Sheriff of Kent (1406-1407); Sir William Whorne, Lord Mayor of London in 1487; Brother William Horne (d. 1540), one of the "Carthusian Martyrs."Robert Horne (c. 1510-1579), was an English churchman, and a leading reforming Protestant, one of the Marian exiles, he was subsequently Bishop...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hornung Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hornung Ranking

In the United States, the name Hornung is the 11,853^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Hornung migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hornung arrived in North America very early:

Hornung Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Gerhart Hornung, who landed in New York in 1709 8
Joh Melchior Hornung, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1755 8
Christoph Hornung, who arrived in America in 1780 8

Hornung Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anne Marie Hornung, who landed in North America in 1849 8
Jakob Hornung, who arrived in North America in 1863 8
John Herman Hornung, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 8
Joseph Hornung, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Hornung (post 1700) +

Paul Vernon Hornung (1935-2020), nicknamed "the Golden Boy", an American NFL football player for the Green Bay Packers, inducted into the Pro and College Halls of Fames

The Hornung 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: Nil desperandum
Motto Translation: Never despairing.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)