Hathaway

H4A1T1H4A1W4A1Y4
US/ˈhæθəweɪ/

proper noun

A surname from Old English.

OriginOld English hǣþ →
Less commonScrabble 20
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Meanings

proper nounHathaway (countable and uncountable, plural Hathaways)

plural Hathaways · alternative Hadaway · alternative Haddaway · alternative Hardaway · alternative Hardway · alternative Hataway · alternative Hatheway · alternative Hattaway

  1. countableA surname from Old English.

    Yes, it must be hell. It hasn't stopped Hathaway, though. The star of The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2 is now the star of One Day, playing complicated, mousey Yorkshireperson Emma Morley.

    2011 August 21, “Pass notes, No 3,030: Anne Hathaway”, in The Guardian
  2. A placename, from the surname:
    1. countableuncountableA census-designated place in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States.
    2. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Calhoun County, West Virginia, United States.

Origin

  1. Old Englishhǣþ“heath, untilled land”
  2. EnglishHathaway

Two possible origins: * A topographic surname for someone who lived by a path across a heath, from Old English hǣþ (“heath, untilled land”) + weġ (“way”). * A metronymic surname from an Old English personal name *Heaþuwig, which is composed of the elements heaþu (“stife, contention”) and wīg (“war”). Cognate with German Hedwig.

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Hathaway. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hathaway

MLA

“Hathaway.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hathaway. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hathaway,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hathaway.

Source: Hathaway on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.