what is the origin of the last name amend?

Question

I would say German or Polish

Answer 1

I would have guessed it's a version of the French names Emond or Amand. Both come from St. Amand and are pretty common in both France and the US.

Answer 2

Hey Katie,

There are 2 possible origins for Amend according to Swyrich.com by James P. Wolf.

"amend

(2 origins available)
English:
Spelling variations of this family name include: Hammond, Hammon, Hammons, Hamon, Hamond and others.

First found in Kent where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Daniel Hammond settled in Bermuda in 1635; Elizabeth Hammond and her husband settled in Boston Mass. in 1630 with their four children; Henry Hammond arrived in Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia with his wife and three children in 1774

German:
Spelling variations of this family name include: Amannn, Ammann, Aman, Ammon and others.

First found in Switzerland. The name originated from the much honored position of the Landammann, who was the highest official of a Swiss canton (province).

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Hans Uhlrig Amman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1735; John Amman settled in San Francisco, Cal. in 1850; Anna Ammann settled in Carolina in 1743; Jacob Ammann, age 24.

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Family Search however has Russian and German, and I did see two English entries. German, Russian, and English is my conclusion. Quite frequently Russian means Polish because of the cross over and timing possibilities. There are just so many Russian entries. Anyway, check it yourself.

Answer 3

Well, according to www.ancestry.com, most of the immigrants to America with that surname left from the port of Bremen, Germany and most of queries I saw on the Rootsweb about Amend were asking about people born in Germany, so I'd say your guess of Germany is right!