The Heyn Family Name

Behind the Heyn surname stands Hein, a German name that clerks and families wrote in more than one way.

Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. The two spellings differ in a small detail: Heyn has “y” where Hein has “i”.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Heyn, so the heraldry linked to Hein is a starting point, not an automatic right. Want more than a summary? See the Heyn family name pack.