Where does “Hitchens” come from?

Hitchens is an English surname derived from the medieval given name Hitch, a short form of Richard, which comes from Old French Richard, ultimately from Latin Ricohardus.

Ancestry of “Hitchens”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	Hitch	—
2	English	Richard	—
3	Middle English	Rycharde	—
4	Old French	Richard	—
5	Medieval Latin	Richardus	—
6	Frankish	Rīkahard	—
7	Proto-Germanic	Rīkaharduz	A male given name
8	Proto-Germanic	rīks	king, ruler
9	Proto-Celtic	rīxs	king
10	Proto-Indo-European	h₃rḗǵs	king, ruler
11	Proto-Indo-European	h₃reǵ-	to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →

Hitchens — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer