Hawthorne

Hawthorne is a surname name connected with the hawthorn tree. The final e belongs to the surname spelling; Hawthorn is also used as the straightforward English plant name. This gives Hawthorne two overlapping associations: a family-name history and a visible connection with the natural world.

For many English-language readers, the spelling also recalls Nathaniel Hawthorne, the American author of The Scarlet Letter. That literary connection is specific to the writer rather than a separate meaning of the name. Parents choosing between Hawthorn and Hawthorne may therefore be choosing between a more direct botanical spelling and the form that carries the familiar author's surname.