Hodgson is a surname. In

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, the Hodgson surname was the 173rd most common (766 per million) in 1881 and the 206th most common (650 per million) in 1998. In the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, Hodgson was the 3753rd most popular surname (30 per million) in the 1990 census.

Origin and meaning

Hodgson is a

patronymic surname A patronymic surname is a surname originated from the given name of the father or a patrilineal ancestor. Different cultures have different ways of producing patronymic surnames. For example, early patronymic Welsh surnames were the result of t ...

, thought by some to mean "son of Hodge", with Hodge being a Middle English personal name usually representing a pet-form of the name Roger. However, Geoffrey Hodgson shows that both distribution of the name and DNA suggest a Norse-Irish origin, making “son of Oddgeir” a more likely derivation.

Variants

The Hodson surname is less common and generally derives from Hodgson. Other probable variants of Hodgson include Hodgeson, Hodgshon, Hodshon, Hodgin, Hodgins, Hodgen, Hodgens, Hodghson, Hodgon and Hodgeon. In the North of England the "s" is often silent in the pronunciation of Hodgson. This accounts for variants such as Hodgin, Hodgen, Hodgon and Hodgeon.

Coat of arms

The Hodgsons of

Hebburn Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the sou ...

, a mine-owning Catholic family living in the North East of England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Surtees 1820, vol. 2, pp. 77, 319, James 1974, Hodgson 2008), bore a heraldic coat of arms,

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

ed as "per chevron, embattled or and azure, three martlets counterchanged". This same coat of arms is associated with several other Hodgson families, including the Hodgsons of West Keal in Lincolnshire, the Hodgsons of Bascodyke in Cumberland (Hodgson 1925), the Hodshons of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, and with Thomas Hodgson (1738–1817) a

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

merchant and slave trader, and the owner of a mill in Caton, Lancashire (Hodgson 2008).

Border Reivers and Hodgson clans

For centuries before

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

's assentation to the throne of England (

Union of the Crowns The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...

), the remote Anglo-Scottish borderland region had been the lair of unruly clans and gangs of robbers that were largely beyond the reach of the law. A peculiar form of clan organisation grew up in this area. This was the land of the

Border Reivers Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their v ...

. These clans had a legal system distinct from that of the majority of England and Scotland (Robb 2018). The suppression of this legal system led to a generalised breakdown of

Reiver Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their v ...

society (Robb 2018). They would steal goods, cattle and women from across the nominal border. Some Hodgsons in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

were themselves a clan organisation (Fraser 1971). The border clans were eventually subjection by state authorities. Many were forced or obliged to emigrate to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

in the 18th century (Fischer 1989). Many Hodgsons emigrated in this period.

People with the surname

Alex Hodgson Alex Hodgson (born 12 August 1961) is a Scottish folk singer/songwriter signed to the record label Greentrax Recordings. In his early professional career, Alex was the drummer and lead vocalist of The Last Resort alongside working as a technician a ...

, Scottish singer/songwriter * Andrew Hodgson (disambiguation) *

Arthur Hodgson __NOTOC__ Sir Arthur Hodgson KCMG (29 June 1818 – 24 December 1902) was an Australian pioneer and politician. Early life Hodgson was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England; the second son of the Rev. Edward Hodgson and his third w ...

(1818–1902), Australian pioneer and politician *

Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking , he played his club football in the NRL ...

, Australian professional rugby league player *

Brian Hodgson Brian Hodgson (born 1938) is a British television composer and sound technician. Born in Liverpool in 1938, Hodgson joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1962 where he became the original sound effects creator for the science fiction program ...

, British television composer and sound technician *

Brian Houghton Hodgson Brian Houghton Hodgson (1 February 1800 or more likely 1801 – 23 May 1894) was a pioneer naturalist and ethnologist working in India and Nepal where he was a British Resident. He described numerous species of birds and mammals from the Hima ...

(1800–1894), British naturalist *

Bryan Hodgson Bryan Hodgson (born 1987) is an American college basketball coach who is currently serving as an assistant coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Early life Hodgson was born at Olean General Hospital in 1987 to a teenage mother. After his mother's ...

, American college basketball coach *

Caroline Hodgson Caroline Hodgson (1851 – 11 July 1908), also known as Madame Brussels, was a well-known brothel proprietor and local identity of the Little Lon district in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, during the late 19th century. Life Hodgson was born ...

(1851–1908), Australian brothel proprietor *

Charles Hodgson (artist) Charles Hodgson (c.1770–1856) was an amateur English landscape painter who was one of the founding members member of the Norwich School of painters. His son was David Hodgson, a notable artist in his own right. Life Charles Hodgson was born ...

(c. 1770 – 1856), amateur English landscape painter * Christopher Hodgson (disambiguation) *

Claire Merritt Hodgson Claire Merritt Hodgson Ruth, born Clara Mae Merritt (September 11, 1900 – October 25, 1976), was a native of Athens, Georgia, United States, who is most famous for having been the second wife of Babe Ruth. Biography Claire's first husband, ...

(1897–1976), second wife of Babe Ruth *

Cody Hodgson Cody Douglas Hodgson (born February 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centreman. Hodgson played at the major junior level for four seasons with the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). After being selecte ...

(born 1990), Canadian professional ice hockey player *

David Hodgson (disambiguation) David Hodgson may refer to: * David Hodgson (rugby league) (born 1981), English rugby league footballer * David Hodgson (judge) (1939–2012), Australian judge * David Hodgson (chemist), English chemistry professor * David Hodgson (footballer) (b ...

* Derek Hodgson (disambiguation) *

Edward Hodgson Edward Franks Hodgson (28 August 1813 – 9 March 1882) was an English clergyman and a cricketer who played in first-class cricket matches for Cambridge University in 1835 and 1836. He was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire and died at Holton ...

(1813–1882), British clergyman and cricketer *

Edward Smith Hodgson Edward S. Hodgson (25 April 186615 April 1937) was a Scottish artist, etcher, and illustrator who began a career on the sea, but after an injury, switched to art. He is probably best known as the illustrator of 17 boys' adventure books by Percy ...

(1866–1937), Scottish artist, etcher, and illustrator of magazines and of juvenile fiction *

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (published in 1885–1886), '' A Little ...

, born Frances Eliza Hodgson (1849–1924), English–American playwright and author * Francis Roger Hodgson (1853–1920), British clergyman and Bible translator * Frederick Hodgson (disambiguation) * Geoffrey Hodgson (born 1946), economist * George Hodgson (disambiguation) *

Henrietta Mildred Hodgson Henrietta Mildred Hodgson (6 January 1805 – 19 November 1891) was an English lady with both British royal and American presidential genealogical connections. Life and family Born on 6 January 1805 in London Henrietta Mildred was the daughte ...

(1805–1891), great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II * Henry Hodgson (disambiguation) * Herbert John Hodgson (1893–1974), soldier and printer of ''The Seven Pillars of Wisdom'' * Isaac Hodgson (architect) (born 1826), Irish-US architect * James Hodgson (disambiguation) * Jane Elizabeth Hodgson (1915–2006), American obstetrician and gynecologist *

Joel Hodgson Joel Hodgson (born February 20, 1960) is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'') and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, ''MST3K'' was liste ...

(born 1960), creator and former host of Mystery Science Theater 3000 * John Hodgson (disambiguation) *

Joseph Hodgson Joseph Hodgson (1788–1869) was a British physician and a well-known Quaker. He was born in Penrith, Cumberland, the son of a Birmingham merchant and educated at King Edward VI School, Birmingham, after which he was apprenticed to George F ...

(1788–1869), British physician * Jules Hodgson, English guitarist * Julian Hodgson (born 1963), English chess grandmaster * Ken Hodgson (1942–2007), English footballer from Newcastle. * Laurence C. Hodgson (1874–1937), US newspaper writer and politician *

Leonard Hodgson Leonard Hodgson (24 October 1889 in Fulham, London – 15 July 1969 in Leamington Spa) was an Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, historian of the early Church and Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford from 1944 to 19 ...

(1889–1969), Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, and historian *

Leyland Hodgson Leyland Hodgson (5 October 1892 – 16 March 1949), also known as Leland Hodgson, was an English-born American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in London on 5 October 1892, Hodgson entered the theater in 1898. In his early 20s, Ho ...

1892–1949), American actor * Lucy Hodgson, American sculptor and printmaker *

Marshall Hodgson Marshall Goodwin Simms Hodgson (April 11, 1922 – June 10, 1968), was an Islamic studies academic and a world historian at the University of Chicago. He was chairman of the interdisciplinary Committee on Social Thought in Chicago. Works Though he ...

(1922–1968), American Islamic scholar *

Martin Hodgson Martin Hodgson (26 March 1909 – 23 July 1991) was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Lauded as one of the game's greatest ever s, he represented Great Britain, England and Cumberland on many occasions ...

(1909–1991), English rugby league forward and goalkicker * Matthew Hodgson (disambiguation) * Miriam Hodgson (1938–2005), British editor of children's books * Nick Hodgson (born 1977), English drummer and musician *

Patricia Hodgson Dame Patricia Anne Hodgson, (born 19 January 1947) is a broadcasting executive, competition regulator, and academic administrator. She is a board member of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation having served as Chair of Ofcom from 2014 to 201 ...

, Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge * Paul Hodgson (disambiguation) * Peter Hodgson (disambiguation) *

Ralph Hodgson Ralph Hodgson (9 September 1871 – 3 November 1962), Order of the Rising Sun (Japanese 旭日章), was an English poet, very popular in his lifetime on the strength of a small number of anthology pieces, such as ''The Bull''. He was one of th ...

(1871–1962), English poet * Randolph Hodgson (1870–1952), English clergyman and writer under the pen-name "A Country Vicar" * Richard Hodgson (disambiguation) * Robert Hodgson (disambiguation) * Robert Willard Hodgson (1893–1966), an American botanist * Robert MacLeod Hodgson (1874–1956), British diplomat * Robin Hodgson, Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (born 1942), British politician *

Roger Hodgson Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founding member of progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band’ ...

(born 1950), English singer/songwriter * Shadworth Hodgson (1832–1912), English philosopher * Sharon Hodgson (born 1966), British politician *

Sharyn Hodgson Sharyn Hodgson (born 25 August 1968) is an Australian former actress, best known as an original character in TV serial ''Home and Away'' playing troubled teenager Carly Morris (later Luccini), she has subsequently returned to the role guest app ...

(born 1968), Australian actress who appeared in ''Home and Away'' *

Stuart Milton Hodgson Stuart Milton Hodgson, sometimes known as Stu, OC (April 1, 1924 – December 18, 2015) was the commissioner of the Northwest Territories (NWT) from March 2, 1967 until April 6, 1979. The first Commissioner to actually reside in the Northwest Ter ...

(born 1924), Canadian commissioner *

Studholme Hodgson Field Marshal Studholme Hodgson (1708 – 20 October 1798) was a British Army officer who served during the 18th century. After serving as an Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Cumberland at the Battle of Fontenoy during the War of the Austrian Suc ...

(1708–1798), British field marshal * Sydney Hodgson (died 1591), English Roman Catholic lawyer and martyr * Telfair Hodgson (1840–1893), American Episcopal priest and academic administrator * Telfair Hodgson Jr. (1876–1952), American academic administrator, banker, developer * Thomas Hodgson (disambiguation) * Walter Joseph Hodgson (1924-1978) (Lt.Col, USAF, Retired) American Helicopter Test Pilot, one of only three men to fly the

Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar The Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar was a VTOL aircraft developed by Avro Canada as part of a secret U.S. military project carried out in the early years of the Cold War. The Avrocar intended to exploit the Coandă effect to provide lift and thrust ...

, and the only two-time recipient of the Frederick L. Feinberg Memorial Award (1960, 1979) * W. N. Hodgson (1893–1916), First World War poet who published under the pen name Edward Melbourne *

Wil Hodgson Wil Hodgson (born 1978) is a non-binary English comedian. They have lived in Chippenham their whole life and began performing comedy in 2003. Prior to this, they had worked part-time as a lecturer at Wiltshire College and had a stint training t ...

(born 1978), English stand-up comedian * William Hodgson (disambiguation) ;Sportspeople: *

Arthur Hodgson (footballer) Arthur Edward Clarence Hodgson (8 January 1926 – 12 May 2003) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and North Western Football Union (NWFU). Born in Sydney but raised in Queenstown, Tasmania, H ...

(born 1926), Australian rules footballer * Aub Hodgson (1912–1982), Australian rugby union player *

Billy Hodgson William Hodgson (9 July 1935 – 2022) was a Scottish association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger or inside forward. Career Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Hodgson started his career with Dunoon Athleti ...

(born 1935), Scottish footballer *

(born 1978), Australian rugby league player *

Charlie Hodgson Charles Christopher Hodgson (born 12 November 1980) is a retired English rugby union player, having previously been a player for Sale Sharks and Saracens. His position was fly-half and he is the leading Premiership points scorer of all time. ...

(born 1980), rugby union player *

(born 1990), Canadian ice hockey player *

Dan Hodgson Daniel W. "Hodge" Hodgson (born August 29, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player of Cree heritage who played 114 National Hockey League games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. He won the Memorial Cup as a memb ...

(born 1965), Canadian ice hockey player * Dan Hodgson (cricketer) (born 1990), English cricketer * Geoffrey Hodgson (cricketer) (born 1938), English cricketer *

Gordon Hodgson Gordon Hodgson (16 April 1904 – 14 June 1951) was a professional sportsman, born in Transvaal Colony, who is best known as a striker for Liverpool and as a fast bowler for Lancashire. He won two international caps for South Africa and three ...

(1904–1951), South African-born English footballer, cricketer and baseball player * Gordon Hodgson (footballer) (1952–1999), English footballer * Isaac Hodgson (1828–1867), English cricketer * Joe Hodgson (born 1988), 2012 British supermoto quad champion *

, English rugby league footballer * Michael Hodgson (born 1979), Australian rugby league player *

Neil Hodgson Neil Stuart Hodgson (born 20 November 1973) is a British former motorcycle racer, who won the 2000 British Superbike Championship, and the 2003 Superbike World Championship titles. He then went on to have a moderately successful four years in t ...

, English motorcycle racer * Nick Hodgson (swimmer) (born 1964), British swimmer *

Pat Hodgson Patrick Shannon Hodgson (born January 30, 1944) is a former American football wide receiver. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins in 1966. He played college football at the University of Georgia. After his ...

(born 1944), US American football player * Philip Hodgson (born 1935), English cricketer *

Rick Hodgson Richard S. Hodgson (born May 23, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 6 games for the Hartford Whalers during the 1979–80 NHL season, 1979–80 season. Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Interna ...

(born 1956), Canadian ice hockey player * Robert Hodgson (cricketer) (born 1973), Australian cricketer *

Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is a former English football manager and player. He managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstads BK in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to ...

(born 1947), English football manager * Rusty Hodgson (born 1981), British motorcycle racer * Ted Hodgson (born 1945), Canadian ice hockey player * Tim Hodgson (born 1975), English cricketer ;Fictional characters: * Tom Hodgson, a character from '' Channel Zero'', portrayed by

Brandon Scott Brandon Maurice Scott (born April 8, 1984) is an American politician serving as the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland since 2020. The city of Baltimore uses a strong mayor-council structure for their government, meaning Scott holds strong mayoral po ...

Hodgson can also be a given name: * Hodgson Pratt (1824–1907), English pacifist

References

Bibliography

* Fischer, David Hackett (1989) '' Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America'' (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press). * Fraser, George MacDonald (1971) ''The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Reivers'' (London: Barrie and Jenkins). ''Antiquarian and Archaeological Society'', New Series, 25, pp. 244–49. * Hanks, Patrick, Richard Coates and Peter McClure, eds. (2016) ''The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', volume 2 (Oxford: Oxford University Press) * Reaney, P. H. (1958) ''A Dictionary of English Surnames'', first edition (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul). * Robb, G. (2018). ''The Debatable Land: The Lost World Between Scotland and England'' (London: Picador) * Surtees, Robert (1820) ''History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham'', volume 2 (London: Nichols). {{surname English-language surnames Surnames of English origin Patronymic surnames