Where does this surname originate from?

Question:

Where does this surname originate from?

Hands.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Hi Coz:
Here is something I found on the www:
English (chiefly West Midlands): variant of Hand.
Hand
English and German: nickname for someone with a deformed hand or who had lost one hand, from Middle English hand, Middle High German hant, found in such appellations as Liebhard mit der Hand (Augsburg 1383).
Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from German Hand ‘hand’.
Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic ó Flaithimh (see Guthrie), resulting from an erroneous association of the Gaelic name with the Gaelic word lámh ‘hand’. It is used as an English equivalent for several other names of Gaelic origin too, e.g. Claffey, Glavin, and McClave.
Dutch: from a variant of hont ‘dog’, ‘hound’, either a derogatory nickname, or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a dog.
Q-ball: There is also some German/Norse connotations, which has come out in the name of the well-known classical composer: Hándel, which is derived from the German word "handel/-ing" (act/-ion) . . .
I hope this helps!
LUV
Q Source(s):
http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnam... apes Go to the library and get a surname directory such as the Oxford Book of Names or use www.familysearch.org and see follow it back through time.

Good luck and good hunting Ancestry.Com shows the following given as place of origin of Hands immigrants to the U.S.

England 71

Ireland 29

Great Britain 21

London 8

Germany 6

Prussia 4 this is now part of Germany and Poland.

The origin of a surname is not all that important in genealogy as the same surname can come from more than one nationality. Also not everyone with the same surname is related or share ancestors.

Since you are interested regarding the name, please see the links below from the U.K. College-of-Arms and the U. S. National Genealogical Society.

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/faq.ht...

http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comconsumerp...
\ Have a look at the links posted below, both say it's English.

Hands
English (chiefly West Midlands): variant of Hand.
www.ancestry.com
http://www.houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sid=&...

Hope this helps. The meaning of the surname HANDS is - dweller at or near the sign of the hand. Hands
English (chiefly West Midlands): variant of Hand
Hand:nickname for someone with a deformed hand or who had lost one hand, from Middle English hand, Middle High German hant, found in such appellations as Liebhard mit der Hand (Augsburg 1383).