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The Hance family has been involved in American history for centuries. The majority of Hance family members in the United States of America identify the homeland of their ancestors as being from the British Isles; however, other members of the Hance family trace their ancestry to other parts of Western Europe.
Mainland Europe was certainly involved in sending Hances to the New World! Each of these Hance families possibly have a common ancestor and DNA can tell use the whole story!
Etymology and Origin of "Hance" from House of Names:
"Hance" surname meaning from Ancestry.com:
1. English: variant of 'Hann' with genitival or post-medieval -s. plural form of 'Hand' or a variant of 'Annis' with prosthetic H-. Altered form of English 'Hains'.
2. French: adaptation of German 'Hans'.
Etymology and Origin of "Hance" from House of Names:
1. "The Hance family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Great Britain. Their name comes from the baptismal name for the 'son of John'. The given name 'John' was originally derived from the Dutch 'Hans or Han'. Alternatively, the name could be a 'nickname or sign-name (Old English for 'hand')'."
2. "The surname Hance was first found in Cheshire where the name first appeared as a forename in the Assize Rolls of 1288."
From the Internet Surname Database on the last name 'Hance':
1. "This interesting and unusual surname is of early Medieval English origin, and is from the medieval given name 'Hann', which is usually a short form of Johan, from the Hebrew name 'Yochanan', meaning Jehovah has favored (me with a son), or may Jehovah favor (this child). However, in some cases, the name may be from the personal name Henry, which is composed of the Germanic elements 'haim, heim', home, and 'ric', however, and even from Randolph, which is also from a Germanic personal name, composed of the elements 'rand', rim (of a shield), shield and 'wolf'. The modern surname can be found as Hann, Han and Hane, and the patronymics include Hance, Hanson and Hansom.