Hampshire Family History

regional name from the southern English county so called, which derives its name from Hampton (i.e. the port of Southampton) + Old English scir ‘division’, ‘district’. regional name from the area of Hallamshire in southern Yorkshire, named from Hallam + Middle English schir ‘division’, ‘administrative region’ (Old English scir). The surname is most common in Yorkshire, where this second derivation is most likely to be the source.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press