Show ContentsHunnicutt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hunnicutt

What does the name Hunnicutt mean?

The history of the Hunnicutt family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Somerset, at the manor of Hunecote or Hunnecota, from where they took their name.

Early Origins of the Hunnicutt family

The surname Hunnicutt was first found in Somerset where conjecturally they are descended from William, a Norman noble who was a subtenant of Roger de Courseulles, and was Lord of the manor of Hunecote or Hunnecota, and was recorded in the Domesday Book taken in the year 1086, and the manor is recorded as being "two nuns, as a royal grant."

The township of Huncoat in Lancashire also derived its name from the ancient family. "This was a royal manor in the reign of the Confessor, who, in the great survey, is recorded to have held two carucates in 'Hunnicott.' James de Huncote, and John his son, occur in the reign of Edward I.; the Hall was occupied by this family." 1

Early History of the Hunnicutt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hunnicutt research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hunnicutt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hunnicutt Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Honycott, Hunnicott, Huncote, Honicote, Honeycott, Honeycutt, Hunnicot and many more.

Early Notables of the Hunnicutt family

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

Hunnicutt Ranking

In the United States, the name Hunnicutt is the 8,472nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


Hunnicutt migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Hunnicutt name or one of its variants:

Hunnicutt Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eleanor Hunnicutt, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
  • Norah S. Hunnicutt, aged 38, who immigrated to America, in 1904
  • A. Hunnicutt, who landed in America, in 1908
  • Carrie M. Hunnicutt, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1910
  • Nell Hunnicutt, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hunnicutt (post 1700) +

  • Gayle Hunnicutt (1943-2023), Lady Jenkins, an American film, television and stage actress who made more than 30 film appearances
  • Ellen Hunnicutt (b. 1931), American author and novelist
  • Arthur Lee Hunnicutt (1910-1979), American Academy Award nominated actor, best known for his roles in El Dorado (1966), Cat Ballou (1965) and Broken Arrow (1950)
  • Lucy Hunnicutt, self-taught American artist
  • Dorothy Hunnicutt, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1964 3
  • Yoko Hunnicutt (b. 1975), Japanese high jumper


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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