Surname Hever - Meaning and Origin
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Hever: What does the surname Hever mean?
The last name Hever is a surname of German origin. The name is derived from the location of Hever, a small village in the Rhein-Hunsrück region of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. This village was first mentioned in 1288, so the name is quite old.
The name is thought to be derived from the old German term 'hafar', which means 'hedge, fence' or 'hedgehog'. It could also come from 'hafer', which was an Old High German word for 'oat'. This suggests that the original meaning of the name was 'someone who lived near a hedge/fence' or 'someone who lived near a plot of oats'.
The modern day Hevers are thought to have moved away from the village over the centuries, and spread across Europe and beyond as a result of the migration of people from home countries. Today, the Hever surname can be found in countries such as the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, the UK, and beyond.
The last name Hever is associated with strength, resilience, and stability. It is also linked to the idea that no matter how far you may have moved away from your ancestral home, it remains a part of your identity.
Order DNA origin analysisHever: Where does the name Hever come from?
The last name Hever is most commonly found in the Netherlands and Germany. In the Netherlands, the majority of Hever families originated in the province of Overijssel, with the number of people bearing the surname increasing in the early 19th century due to an influx of people from Prussia, France, and Belgium. The name is also found in Germany, primarily in the northwest regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony near the Dutch border.
The Hever surname can also be found in the United States, where it was first introduced by immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands in the early 1800s. The name is especially concentrated in Pennsylvania, which was a popular destination for Dutch immigrants at the time, and a handful of families also settled in several Southern states, primarily Alabama and Florida.
Today, the Hever name is most commonly found in the countries of the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States, with a fair distribution in each. It’s also possible that some of the families with the Hever name may have since changed their spelling of the name due to phonetic spelling changes with emigration.
Variations of the surname Hever
The surname Hever is of German and Dutch origin and is derived from a place-name of the same spelling. It is generally linked to the Dutch province of Heverlee and the German village of Ebensfeld, both of which are derived from the Germanic personal name Eberhard. Other variants and spellings of the surname Hever include Eber, Eberhardt, Eberhart, Ebers, Ebersol, Evert, Everts, Heever, Hefner, Heverington, Hevert, and Hevron.
In German, the common spelling is Eberhard, which is derived from the personal name Eberhard. This name is composed of two Germanic personal names, eber meaning “brave” and hard meaning “strong”. This name was fairly popular in medieval Germany, as was the variant spelling Eberhart.
The Dutch spelling of the surname is generally Hever, and may also be spelled Heever or Hevron. The surname Hever is sometimes found in England and Scotland, and may be a variant of the German or Dutch surnames. In Dutch, the spelling Hever denotes a waterfall, hence it could also be a habitational name for someone living near a water body.
The surname Hever can also be found in South African English and Afrikaans, due to Dutch settlers who crossed the Cape in the 17th century. Variants in South African English include Ebers, Ebersol, and Hevert. In Afrikaans, the spelling is usually Hever or Heefner.
Famous people with the name Hever
- Anne Boleyn: second wife of King Henry VIII and Queen of England
- Ed Hever: professional footballer and coach
- Marvin Hever: award-winning Dutch photographer
- Jeff Hever: actor and film producer
- Rebecca Hever: trombonist
- Bart Hever: Dutch film director
- Barbara Hever: Dutch radio presenter
- John Hever: American speed skater
- Carlo Hever: Dutch gravure artist
- Mandy Hever: Danish singer-songwriter