Horning is a

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

surname. Like the related Hörning and Hornung it may either be derived from the term '' hornung'' and in this case be used as a nickname for someone with a relationship to the month of February or derived from

Middle Low German Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...

''hornink'' and then used for a person born out of wedlock (horns as symbols of cuckoldry) or a topographic name referring to the hornlike shape of a property.
Notable people with the surname include: * Al Horning (1939–2023), Canadian politician *

Jim Horning James Jay Horning (24 August 1942 – 18 January 2013) was an American computer scientist and ACM Fellow. Overview Jim Horning received a PhD in computer science from Stanford University in 1969 for a thesis entitled ''A Study of Grammatical Infe ...

(1942–2013), American computer scientist * Karen Horning (born 1966), former Peruvian swimmer * Marjorie G. Horning (1917–2020), American biochemist and pharmacologist *

Ross Horning Ross Charles Horning Jr. (October 10, 1920 – April 1, 2005) was an American historian and baseball player. He played professional baseball in the Minor League Baseball, minor leagues while completing his studies. Horning was a professor of Russ ...

(1920–2005), American historian *

Steamer Horning Clarence Edward "Steamer" Horning (November 15, 1892January 24, 1982) was an American football player in the 1910s and 1920s. He played college football for the Colgate Raiders and was selected in 1916 as a first-team All-American at the tackle ...

(1892–1982), American football player *

William A. Horning William Allen Horning (November 9, 1904 – March 2, 1959) was an American two-time Academy Award winner. He was married to Esther Montgomery until his death. Together they had three sons. He joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1931 as a draftsm ...

(1904–1959), American art director

References

{{surname, Horning German-language surnames Surnames from nicknames German toponymic surnames