Huish - Name

Recorded in several spelling forms including Huish, Hewish, Huyche, and Huis, this very interesting and individualistic surname is of pre 7th century Olde English origins. It is either topographical or locational, and is a typical West Country dialectual transposition. The derivation is from the word "hus" meaning house, and as such the surname describes either a person of some importance who lived at a house, at a time when most people lived in sheds or shacks, or somebody who came from one of the various villages called Huish, recorded in the region. Early examples of the surname development include: Richard de Hewysh of the county of Cornwall in the Subsidy Tax Rolls of the year 1292, Thomas Hewis of Devonshire, given as being a student at Oxford University in 1568, and Mary Huis who married George Broderwick at St.Dionis Backchurch, in the city of London in 1660. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of John de Hiwyagh. This was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of the county of Somerset, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.