Hess or Heß, a German and Ashkenazic surname, meaning somebody originally from the region of Hesse. Two alternative origins have been reported. Usage in the south of Germany may arise from a contraction of the personal name Matthäus, whereas appearance in Germany or The Netherlands may arise from a modification of the personal name Hesso.
Notable people who share this surname include:
András Hess, Hungarian printerBernhard Hess (born 1966), Swiss politicianBernhard von Hess (1792–1869), Bavarian Lieutenant General and War MinisterCarl von Hess (1863–1923), German ophthalmologistCatherina Hess, (born 1985), German actressDamian Hess aka MC Frontalot, nerdcore rapperDean Hess (1917-2015), American Air Force ColonelElizabeth Hess (born 1953), Canadian actressElmar Hess (born 1966), German artistEric Hess, American wrestlerErika Hess (born 1962), Swiss alpine skierFred Hess (born 1944), American jazz musicianFred Hess (Wisconsin) (1858-1925), American politicianGermain Henri Hess (1802–1850), Russian-Swiss chemistGregory Hess (born 1962), 16th President of Wabash CollegeHans-Georg Hess (1923-2008), German U-boat captainJohn Jacob Hess (1584-1639), Swiss-German Anabaptist minister and martyrHarry Hammond Hess (1906–1969), American geologist best known for his theories on sea floor spreadingHarry Hess, American college sports coachHarvey Hess (1939-2012), American lyric poetHeinrich von Heß (1788–1870), Austrian fieldmarshallHeinrich Maria von Hess, German painterHieronymus Hess, Swiss drawer, painter, caricaturist (1799-1850)Jake Hess, American southern gospel vocalistJared Hess (born 1979), American writer and director of Napoleon DynamiteJohann Hess (Hesse), (1490–1547), German theologianKarl Hess (1923–1994), American speechwriter and authorKarl Hess (painter) (1801-1874), German painterLeon Hess Founder, Chairman of the Board & CEO of Hess Corporation and the New York Jets NFL Football franchise until his deathMarkus Hess, German hackerMichael A. Hess (1952-1995), American lawyerMoses Hess (1812–1875), Jewish philosopher and proto-ZionistMyra Hess (1890–1965), British pianistNigel Hess, British composerOrtwin Hess, British optician and physicistOrvan Hess (1906–2002), doctor who invented the fetal heart monitorPeter von Hess, German painterRudolf Hess (1894–1987), Deputy Führer of Nazi GermanyVictor Francis Hess (1883–1964), Austrian-American physicist who discovered cosmic raysWalter Rudolf Hess (1881–1973), Swiss physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949Willy Hess (violinist) (1859–1939), German famous violin virtuosoWilly Hess (composer) (1906–1997), Swiss musicologist, composer, and famous Beethoven scholarWolf Rüdiger Hess (Heß) (1937–2001), German architect, right extremist and son of Rudolf Hess