Hittle

History of the Name: Hittle

Germanic Origins

Huet - Germanic word for "hut" or a stick/board built structure. (as opposed to either brick, stone, or log structures)
Huettel - Germanic name for people who either lived in or constructed huets.

While "Hittle" or "Hittel" and even "Hittell" are contemporary ways of rendering our surname, historically the name derives from its Germanic roots. Germanic renditions of the name varied from country to country, duchy to duchy, and even between various clergy or civil records in the same parish or locale. The name IS definitely Germanic, even when it relocated to Britain/England, Slavic territories, and even Russian communities.

It is important to realize that this Germanic origin is genuine even as the name presents itself with various Germanic nuances, particularly in church records. Huettel is found as Huettelin and Huetteler in church records, especially baptismal or marriage records. In most instances, the "in" suffix indicated a female (daughter of Huettel), the "er" suffix indicated a male (son of Huettel). But, even in these records, the surname is still Huettel.

It is also significant that the surname began to emerge in Germanic records similarly to other surnaming phenomena. Surnames didn't begin to emerge until the 14th century in most Occidental customs. Language customs, and especially writing customs such as "proper spelling" were only beginning to take shape about the same time as surnaming. So, if you're going to attempt to walk this surname back through time, you can expect to have to be creative about it.

Here are just a few ways the surname was rendered between 1750 and 1800 in American church (Lutheran and German Reformed) and civil records: Huttel, Hittel, Hettel, Huettel, Hüttel, Huetl, Hütl, Huteler, Hitteler, Hitler. This is hardly an exhaustive list of the variant spellings as found in America. That variance is no less uncommon in European Church records back as far as the late 1300's.

Phonetics

Spelling standardization in written languages has been an enterprise which seemingly was an exercise of morphing. This is largely due to the fact that Gutenberg didn't even invent the printing press until the 15th century, which means that dictionaries as we know them today were extremely scarce. We speakers/writers of English were as limited in that as any other language in that Noah Webster didn't publish what has become the English standard dictionary until 1806.

In the lack of standardization of spelling customs, the written word in Europe was greatly accommodated as a phonetic endeavor. "Huettel" in old Germanic dialects sounded much the same as Hittel does in today's English rendition. What became the "ue" vowel blend in written Germanic records sounded very much like what we recognize at the "short i" sound in English phonetics.

Umlauts

Huettel was not an uncommon old Germanic rendering of the surname. Now, let's consider how Huettel would flow as one attempted to write it down in a record. Interestingly, handwriting also began to morph from the old Greek and Latin block letters into cursive rendering about the same time as surnames began to come into existence in European culture.

Go ahead. Take the time to write Huettel in cursive. You don't have to do that (or any other "ue" word) very many times before you realize that there has to be a better way of doing that.

And so, "ue" became "ü". Huettel became Hüttel. Huetl became Hütl.

Anglicization

When Georg Michal Hüttel came to America in 1738 on the ship Winter Galley he had to sign 2 Oaths of Allegiance upon his arrival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British American Colonies. And, in his own handwriting, he gave his signature as "Georg Michal Hüttel."

And, as late as 1760, on a petition for road construction near him in what was then Northampton County, he was still signing his own name as "Hüttel."

Okay, just as you penned Huettel and recognized the significance of the ü, go ahead and write Hüttel in cursive.

If you've done that, now imagine being an English clerk writing Hüttel in records while wondering why there were 2 "i" in the name. It doesn't take much imagination to understand why Hittel was easier to write than Hüttel.

Americanization

Again, it's not uncommon even today to find descendants of the 1738 immigrant, Georg Michal Hüttel rendering their surname as Hittle, Hittel or Hittell. Hittle is probably the greatest number of those descendants, but his son John Adam has descendants who still use Hittel, and his son John George has descendants who use Hittell.

In fact, Georg Michal himself, having died in 1786, was buried under an old Pennsylvania Brownstone tombstone at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania which identifies him as George Michael Hittel.

"Hittle" was used in Revolutionary records and in other tax lists in Pennsylvania in the late 1700s. Georg Michal's son, George Michael Hittle (jr) is found in Columbia County Pennsylvania records as Hittel, Hittle, Hitteler, and in the 1810 census as Huckle.

German Family Roots

Online Resources

In these days of internet connections, large database access, and general overall curiosity, doing genealogy research is far easier than it was some 40 years ago when I seriously began my own personal family research.

While Ancestry.com is convenient, it is also fairly costly.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has always been interested in family history. They have a theological drive to their quest, but, the information they have gathered at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah is greatly valuable, and productive for those of us exploring our family's roots.

The LDS Family History Library has an online presence. At this point they allow public access to much of their collection via a website named Familysearch.

This is not an endorsement of either site, nor is it intended to be an advertisement. I happen to use both, but for the purposes of this endeavor, I will attempt to rely more heavily upon Familysearch than I will upon Ancestry.com

3 Important German Databases

German Births and Baptisms
German Marriages
German Deaths and Burials

Immigrants to America

Pre-Revolutionary War

Georg Michal Hüttel
Johann Peter Hittel
Nicholas Hittel

These 3 men are found in Pennsylvania Archive Records before the advent of the American Revolution. Georg Michal arrived in 1738 and Nicholas in 1764. Both are found in the appropriate "Ship's Lists".

Johann Peter was naturalized in 1755. This is due to the French and Indian War as the Commonwealth government was concerned about the possibilities of spies and other ne'er-do-wells. Those non-English settlers who could not be found in a Ship's List record were required to swear an Oath both to the British Crown, and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Peter, who is not found on any Ship's List was obligated to swear the Oaths in 1755, which is recorded in the Pennsylvania Archives series.

About the Author

Hi, I'm Joe Hittle.
I'm a 5Great-Grandson of our Immigrant Forebear, Georg Michal Hüttel
My line from him is GMH(sr)/GMH(jr)/David/Joseph/Joseph Wesley/Iden(sr)/Alferd/Joe.
Please send any encouragement, corrections, or any other concerns to skadj@yahoo.com