The baby name Hawthorne blends outdoorsy origins with a literary pedigree.
Thanks to Evangeline for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME HAWTHORNE MEAN?
In many ways, this is a straight-up nature name, borrowed from a shrub. When planted close together, they create hedges.
In Old English haga meant hedge. It became haw over time. The ‘g’ spelling persists in place names like Den Haag in the Netherlands, better known as The Hague in English. It serves as home to several international courts designed to issue judgment on disputes between countries. Call it a 21st century hedge of sorts.
The thorn part is more obvious – they’ve got ’em. For centuries, landowners planted hawthorns as living fences. The spiky parts helped protect their boundaries.
We use the plant for firewood. The berries give us wine, syrup, and jam, too.
HOPE, HEARTBREAK, and SAINT JOSEPH
The associations with the plant are many, and several lend themselves to considering the name.
Because it blooms in late April, we sometimes called it mayblossom or maythorn. May Day celebrations utilized the plant. The association with spring makes it a symbol of hope.
It’s touted as a remedy for heartbreak. The ancient Greeks associated hawthorn with love and marriage.
Some contend that Jesus’ crown of thorns was hawthorn. Others speculate that hawthorn provided the staff of Saint Joseph, too. Maybe, but it’s impossible to know for certain.
The wood surfaces in legends. Stories connect it to fairies and holy wells. Some say hawthorn stakes are excellent for killing vampires.
Whether or not that sways expectant parents? It’s impossible to say, but we’ve gone from hopeful springtime to darkly gothic tales, all represented by the same plant.
HAWTHORN AS A SURNAME
Just like many nature names, odds are that Hawthorn became a surname because someone lived near a particularly notable hawthorn hedge.
The baby name Hawthorne comes directly from the surname.
Worth noting: both Hawthorn and Hawthorne are used over the years, especially as last names. One of the toughest questions with such names is often spelling.
To help resolve that question, let’s talk about the most notable Hawthorne of them all.
FAMOUS FIGURE: NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Born Nathaniel Hathorne in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the future writer altered his surname deliberately.
Nathaniel was descended from John Hathorne, an interrogator of the Salem Witch Trials. Scholars assume he added the W to distance himself from that history; however, Hawthrone never explained his thinking.
His writings – the dark Scarlet Letter, the haunting House of the Seven Gables – are considered masterworks of American literature. They remain widely read today.
And so Hawthorne with the E feels like the dominant spelling, and a literary baby name, too.
HAWTHORNE IN POP CULTURE
A short-lived TNT medical drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith was titled Hawthorne. You might think of The Hunger Games’ Gale Hawthorne, best friend to Katniss and a possible love interest.
But neither of these includes the first name Hawthorne. In fact, it remains very much under the radar.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME HAWTHORNE?
Whether it’s the YA series or our love of nature names, the baby name Hawthorne has risen slightly in use during the 21st century.
The first version of this post relied on 2009 data. That year, five baby Hawthornes arrived. As of 2019, that number had quadrupled to 25. In 2025, 24 boys were named Hawthorne.
Parents chose Hawthorn – without the E – for ten boys in 2025. It’s been used in small numbers over the last dozen years.
The numbers suggest that our love of nature names is driving a modest – but clear – increase in parents considering Hawthorne for their sons.
While Hawthorne offers a gentle nature name vibe, it comes with some dramatic, even aggressive nickname options. Thorn and Thor are two; Hawk might also work.
RARE, ADVENTUROUS, LITERARY
Overall, the baby name Hawthorne checks plenty of boxes. It’s an American literary powerhouse. And it’s forever tied to the outdoors, too. Hawthorne’s association with springtime and hope is another bonus.
Or maybe all those vampire tales and the darker side of literature make Hawthorne feel gently Gothic.
If you’re after something long that mixes the adventurous and the meaningful, as well as the natural world, this name might belong on your list.
What do you think of the baby name Hawthorne?
First published on November 10, 2010, this post was updated and re-published on October 13, 2020; September 6, 2024; and October 5, 2026.
There’s a YA book series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes called The Inheritance Games, it follows a teenager who unexpectedly inherits the fortune of a billionaire named Tobias Hawthorn. The Brothers Hawthorn is the fourth book, and the name comes up a ton in the series. I think that could give it a wealthy, mysterious, old money vibe to some YA readers.
Oh, correction, it’s Hawthorne.
I named my son Hawthorne Jack who was born January 2, 1995. He will soon be 21.
Here’s a Hawthorne, named after Nathaniel Hawthorne:
https://nameberry.com/nametalk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15823
Check out the other literary names of their children and they’re expecting #5! 😀
I know someone who uses Hawthorn as his “goth name.” That colors my perception of the name, but as a first name, it makes me think of a vampire in a young adult novel. Thorn is almost worse, because it seems like the name of a vampire on a soap opera.
Oh dear … I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re not wrong!
I could handle Thorn. It’s not too bad. Hawthorne is stodgy and hoary.
I’d hope Hawthorne was NEVER nicknamed Haw. I can’t stomach Hortense for the same reason although it’s ugh factor is doubled by the presence of “tense” 😉
It also has some interesting NN choices: Haw, Hawth, Thor, Thorn, or even Hawk.
I did wonder about Hawk as a nickname. It seems aggressively masculine, but that seems to appeal to all those parents of boys called Slade and Gunner/Gunnar.