Hathaway

English

Alternative forms

• (surname): Hadaway, Haddaway, Hardaway, Hardway, Hataway, Hatheway, Hattaway

Etymology

Two possible origins:

• A topographic surname for someone who lived by a path across a heath, from Old English hǣþ (“heath, untilled land”) + weġ (“way”).
• A metronymic surname from the rare Old English personal name Heaþuwig, which is composed of the elements heaþu (“stife, contention”) and wīg (“war”).

Proper noun

Hathaway (countable and uncountable, plural Hathaways)

1. (countable) A surname from Old English.
   • 2011 August 21, “Pass notes, No 3,030: Anne Hathaway”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Yes, it must be hell. It hasn't stopped Hathaway, though. The star of The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2 is now the star of One Day, playing complicated, mousey Yorkshireperson Emma Morley.

2. (uncountable) A placename, from the surname:
   1. A census-designated place in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States.
   2. An unincorporated community in Calhoun County, West Virginia, United States.

Derived terms

• Berkshire Hathaway

 

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Hathaway is the 1966^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 18401 individuals. Hathaway is most common among White (90.3%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Hathaway”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 141.