What nationality is hill?

Question

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Answer 1

This distinguished surname, with over fifty entries in the "Dictionary of National Biography", and having no less than seventy-five Coats of Arms, is of Olde English pre 7th century derivation. It has two completely distinct possible origins. The first and most obvious being a topographical name from residence by or on a hill. The derivation is from the word "hyll", and requires no further explanation. These topographical surnames, which in their early forms were accompanied by a preposition such as ''ate'' or ''del'', were mong the earliest created, as natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. Early examples of the name from this source include William Attehil of Cambridge in the 1260 Subsidy Rolls and Thomas del Hill of Yorkshire in the 1379 Poll Tax rolls. However recent research indicates that many name holders may derive from the medieval personal and baptismal name "Hille". This is a semi nickname or short form of one of the many Anglo-Saxon compound names with the first element "hild", meaning battle or war, such as Hildebrand and Hilliard or the French ''hilaire'' from the Latin ''hilaris'' meaning ''cheerful''. These are all surnames and personal names in their own right. One of the ''first'' of all Americans was Elizabeth Hill, recorded as born in ''Elizabeth Cittie, Virginia'' before 1620. The earliest coat of arms is that of Sir Robert Hill in the time of King Henry V1 in 1430 was silver, a black chevron between three water bouchets. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert del Hil, which was dated 1191, in the "Pipe Rolls of Norfolk", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199

http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?na...

Answer 2

This is what www.ancestry.com had to say about the name,

Hill Name Meaning and History

English and Scottish: extremely common and widely distributed topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill, Middle English hill (Old English hyll).

English: from the medieval personal name Hill, a short form of Hilary (see Hillary) or of a Germanic (male or female) compound name with the first element hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’.

German: from a short form of Hildebrand or any of a variety of other names, male and female, containing Germanic hild as the first element.

Jewish (American): Anglicized form of various Jewish names of similar sound or meaning.

English translation of Finnish Mäki (‘hill’), or of any of various other names formed with this element, such as Mäkinen, Heinämaki, Kivimäki.

hope this helps.

Answer 3

English/ Scottish

"English and Scottish: extremely common and widely distributed topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill, Middle English hill (Old English hyll)."

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/hill-famil...

Answer 4

Dunno...but Benny Hill, the comedian is British...He so Crazy!