Hudson

Hudson is a surname of English origin and is also used as a given name. It derives from the medieval given name Hudde or Hudd, with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning “son of Hud.” As a surname, it spread with English colonization and is common in the United States and other English-speaking regions.

Hudson River is a major river in the northeastern United States, rising in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and flowing southward to New York Harbor. It has served as a critical transportation and trade route since colonial times and helped shape the development of New York City and the surrounding region. The river has also given its name to a regional heritage and to various cultural and historical references in American history.

Hudson Bay is a large inland sea in northeast Canada, connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Hudson Strait. It was named after the English explorer Henry Hudson, who explored the bay in 1610. Hudson Bay forms a key part of the Canadian north and is linked to several large watersheds in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, and Nunavut.

Hudson as a place name appears in multiple countries. In the United States there are towns and counties named Hudson, including Hudson, New York; Hudson, Massachusetts; Hudson, Wisconsin; and Hudson County in New Jersey. There are additional towns and communities bearing the name in other states.

Notable institutions and cultural references associated with the name include the Hudson River School, a 19th-century American landscape painting movement; the Hudson’s Bay Company, a historic Canadian fur-trading company and modern retail chain; and the Hudson Institute, a Washington, D.C.-area think tank focused on public policy. Henry Hudson, the early modern explorer after whom the river and bay are named, is a significant historical figure linked to the name.