Surname Hinkfoot - Meaning and Origin

Hinkfoot: What does the surname Hinkfoot mean?

The last name Hinkfoot is of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning "an area of chalk land". It likely originated from a place named as such, such as Hinkfoot Hill in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The word "hink" would have been derived from the Old English "hincan", meaning "to incline", and "fot", which meant "foot".

The surname has been passed down from the original Hinkfoot family, who lived in East Yorkshire during the Middle Ages. Local records indicate that the Hinkfoots were a respected family of landowners who had belonged to one of the local independent manorial systems.

Hinkfoot is an unusual surname and is not often seen in records outside of East Yorkshire. For example, the UK cenus, which dates back to 1841, lists just 25 individuals with the last name Hinkfoot, most of whom are from East Yorkshire.

Today, the Hinkfoot surname is still present in East Yorkshire and its surrounding areas, but it is not as widely seen as some other common surnames. Hinkfoot is now more typically used as a first name or a middle name when registering newborns.

Hinkfoot: Where does the name Hinkfoot come from?

Hinkfoot is an uncommon name which is not particularly common today. It originates from Germany, where it was a surname used by many of the early emigrants to the United States. It has been found across many states in America, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Michigan and even as far west as California.

The earliest Hinkfoot recorded is the Willi Hinckfoot in Aargau, Germany, who was born in 1748. As the name spread, it began to appear in other countries such as France, Canada, Austria and South Africa.

The name is most likely to have been the result of an occupational surname, since the verb ‘hinken’ means to limp in German. It is likely that a Hinkfoot ancestor had a deformity or injury of their foot, which was subsequently passed onto their descendants.

Despite the name’s presence within the Americas, today it is not particularly widespread. People bearing the name Hinkfoot are few, with the majority located in the United States. This could be attributed to the diminishment of the name’s use as an occupational name, or more likely because of the unlikely marriage prospects of any Hinkfoots due to its peculiarity.

Variations of the surname Hinkfoot

The surname Hinkfoot has a variety of variants, spellings, and surnames of similar origin. The most common variant is Hinkfuss, which is found in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the United States. Hinkfussis is another spelling that is occasionally encountered, mainly in East Prussia and Germany. Additionally, there is the variant spelling Hinkfoos, which is found in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.

In the United States, the variations Hinkfoos and Hinkfus often appear and are sometimes combined to form the surname Hinkfuss. This particular variant is especially prevalent in Pennsylvania. Other variants include Hinklefuss, Hinklefohs, Hinkfuhs, Hinklefuss, and Hintzfuss. A variant of the surname mainly found in Saxony, Germany is Hinckfuss, and a rare variation of the surname is Hinchfuss.

Due to changes in spelling over the course of history, some of the surnames mentioned above have surnames with the same origin but different spelling, including Hink, Hincke, and Hinke. Furthermore, due to the migration of the surname from Germany to other countries, there may also be additional variant spellings in other countries. For example, in Denmark, the surname is encountered as Hinken and in Bulgaria the surname is found as Hinkov.

Famous people with the name Hinkfoot

• Dave Hinkfoot: Professional US soccer player who competed for the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer
• Harry Hinkfoot: Actor best known for his role as "Doc" in the classic western movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales
• Karl "Kayo" Hinkfoot: American motorcycle racer who won several national championships
• Sam Hinkfoot: Professional baseball player who briefly played for the Chicago Cubs during the 1940s
• Charlotte Hinkfoot: An author and editor who wrote several influential books on early childhood education
• William Hinkfoot: British Member of Parliament from 1874 to 1880
• Madison Hinkfoot: Popular right-wing blogger and YouTuber
• Theodore Hinkfoot: American physicist who led the development of the world's first EMF detector
• Owen Hinkfoot: Professional basketball player who averaged 7 points per game during his five-year career
• Patrick Hinkfoot: Singer-songwriter who released five albums between 1983 and 1987

Other surnames

Hinkfoth