Hugunin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, borne by people with ancestry tracing back to a particular lineage
2. A surname found chiefly among English-speaking families, used to identify an individual's line of descent
3. Refers to a patronymic family name, carried by people whose ancestors are traced through a common line

Etymology: Hugunin is a surname rather than a common English word. It comes from the French "Huguenin," a diminutive of "Hugues," the French form of Hugh. The "-in" ending is a French diminutive suffix, so the name roughly means "little Hugh." The name Hugh goes back to a Germanic personal name, "Hugo," built from an element meaning "mind" or "spirit." Medieval France was full of such names, and "Huguenin" spread as a family name from there. Many American families called Hugunin trace their line to Huguenot refugees, Protestants who fled France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which helps explain why the name is most common in North America.