English (northern): habitational name from any of various places called Huntington, most of which are named with Old English huntena, the genitive plural form of hunta ‘hunter, huntsman’, + dūn ‘hill’ or tūn ‘farmstead, estate’. Some, however, may have Old English hunting ‘hunting’ as the initial element, while others may derive from the Old English personal name Hunta (genitive Huntan), perhaps with Old English connective -ing-, + tūn. The surname may also arise from Huntingdon (Huntingdonshire), which derives from the Old English personal name Hunta (genitive Huntan) or Old English hunta (genitive huntan) + dūn.

History: A prominent American family of this name were founded by Simon Huntington, who himself never saw the New World, for he died in 1633 on the voyage to Boston, where his widow settled with her children. Their descendants include Jabez Huntington (1719–86), a wealthy West Indies trader, and Samuel Huntington (1731–96), who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Collis Potter Huntington (1821–1900) was an American railway magnate. Beginning with little education or money, he made a huge fortune, some of which he left to his nephew, Henry Huntington (1850–1927), who used the money to establish the Huntington library and art gallery in CA.