Head

Head
This interesting and unusual surname, of Anglo-Saxon origin, has two possible sources, both deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "heafod" (Middle English "heaved"), head. In the first instance, "Head" originated as a nickname for a medieval chief or village leader; one whose counsel was sought in matters pertaining to law, business and decisions of great consequence. The surname from this source first appears on record in the latter part of the 12th Century (see below). One Thomas Hede was noted in the Calverley Charters of Yorkshire, dated 1246. The second possibility is that the name is topographical, denoting residence at the head of a stream or valley. The Olde English "heaford" was used in various transferred senses, such as "headland, summit, upper end, source of a stream". Early examples of the surname from this source include: Thomas del Heved (Nottinghamshire, 1275); Roger Byheved (Cheshire, 1285) and Walter Othehede (Derbyshire, 1331). In the modern idiom the name is spelt Head, Heads and Heed. A Coat of Arms granted to the Head family is silver, a chevron ermines between three black unicorns heads couped, the Crest being a unicorn's head couped ermines. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph Heued, which was dated 1166, in the "Pipe Rolls of Norfolk", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Head — (h[e^]d), n. [OE. hed, heved, heaved, AS. he[ a]fod; akin to D. hoofd, OHG. houbit, G. haupt, Icel. h[ o]fu[eth], Sw. hufvud, Dan. hoved, Goth. haubi[thorn]. The word does not correspond regularly to L. caput head (cf. E. {Chief}, {Cadet},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • head — [hed] n. [ME hede, heved < OE heafod, akin to Ger haupt (OHG houbit, Goth haubith) < IE base * kaput (orig. prob. cup shaped) > L caput: merged in Gmc with word akin to OHG hūba, a cap, crest (Ger haube) < IE base * keu , to bend,… …   English World dictionary

  • head — ► NOUN 1) the upper part of the human body, or the front or upper part of the body of an animal, containing the brain, mouth, and sense organs. 2) a person in charge; a director or leader. 3) the front, forward, or upper part or end of something …   English terms dictionary

  • Head — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Anthony Head (* 1954), englischer Schauspieler Antony Head, 1. Viscount Head (1906–1983), britischer Brigadegeneral der British Army sowie Politiker der Conservative Party Barclay V. Head (1844–1914),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Head — (h[e^]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Headed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Heading}.] 1. To be at the head of; to put one s self at the head of; to lead; to direct; to act as leader to; as, to head an army, an expedition, or a riot. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Head On — may refer to: * Head on collision, a type of vehicular collision. * Head On (album), a 1975 album by Bachman Turner Overdrive * Head On , a song originally recorded by The Jesus and Mary Chain and covered by the Pixies * Head On Memories of the… …   Wikipedia

  • head-on — adv 1.) crash/collide/smash etc head on if two vehicles crash etc head on, the front part of one vehicle hits the front part of the other 2.) if someone deals with a problem head on, they do not try to avoid it, but deal with it in a direct and… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • head-on — adj. 1. characterized by direct opposition; as, a head on confrontation. Syn: head to head. [WordNet 1.5] 2. Without evasion or compromise; as, his usual head on fashion; to meet a problem head on. Syn: downright, flat footed, forthright,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • head — [adj] most important; chief arch, champion, first, foremost, front, highest, leading, main, pioneer, preeminent, premier, prime, principal, stellar, supreme, topmost; concepts 568,574 Ant. auxiliary, inferior, lower, second, secondary, trivial,… …   New thesaurus

  • Head On — Entwickler Sega/Gremlin Publisher …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • head-on — head on1 or ,head on adverb 1. ) if two vehicles crash head on, the front of one vehicle hits the front of the other 2. ) if you deal with a problem head on, you deal with it in a very direct way head on ,head on 2 adjective a head on crash is… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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