Hunter Surname: Origin and Coat of Arms
What does Hunter mean, and where does it come from? Here is a brief introduction.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Hunter coat of arms for you.
Origin of the Hunter name
Hunter is an occupational name for a huntsman, from Old English huntian, "to hunt". In the Middle Ages the word covered both hunters of game and those who kept hunting grounds for a lord. The Hunters of Hunterston in Ayrshire have held lands there since the Middle Ages. The name is common in Scotland, northern England and Ulster.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Hunter name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Hunter name in Scotland & England. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Australia and Canada; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
Get your full Hunter family history
Your full Hunter pack adds the researched history, early records and migration. Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Hunter coat of arms for you.
Hunter name FAQ
What does the Hunter name mean?
Huntsman. Common variants include Huntar, Hunte, Hunt.
Where does the Hunter surname come from?
It originates in Scotland & England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Hunter coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Hunter crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Hunter coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.