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- Hyman
- Usage: Yiddish
- Other Scripts: הײמן (Yiddish)
- Alteration of HYAM influenced by Yiddish man "man".
- Hyam
- Usage: Hebrew
- Other Scripts: חַיִּים (Hebrew)
- Variant transcription of CHAYYIM
- Chayyim
- Usage: Hebrew
- Other Scripts: חַיִּים (Hebrew)
- Pronounced: KHAH-yeem [key]
- Derived from the Hebrew word חַיִּים (chayyim) meaning "life". It has been used since medieval times.
The ancestors of the surname Hyman date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. This surname may be one of the oldest English surnames. The Hyman's were first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, possibly well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 AD. The Hyman surname could originate from the Hebrew word khayim or chayyim meaning life. The name may be of English origin from any or all places called Higham, and mean high homestead, especially variations Echam, Hecham, and Heiham which are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Or, the name may derive from their residence in or beside an enclosed region. The surname Hyman originally derived from the Old English word hegham which referred to an enclosed dwelling.
Variations include, but are not limited to: Hyam, Hyams, Hygham, Hyham, Higham, Highams, Hayem, Heyem, Echam, Hecham, Heiham*