Hjort, also spelled Hiort and Hiorth, is a common surname of some Norwegian and Danish families and persons. The name means hart.

To the left, the coat of arms of Sebastiane Hansdatter Hiorth (1726–1809), who was married with Niels Jensen Mechlenborg (ca. 1715–1757). Her arms display two sticks.

Early harts edit

The Oslo harts edit

Rasmus Hjort (1525–1604), Latin Erasmus Cervinus, was a priest in Oslo. He married around 1555 Gidse Frantzdatter Berg, who was the daughter of bishop Frantz Berg and Karine Lauritzdatter. He belonged to the Oslo Humanists. The couple had the son Christoffer Hjort (1561–1616), a crypto-Catholic priest.

The Røros harts edit

Both Peder Henningsen Hjort (1655–1716) and his son Peder Pedersen Hjort (1715–1789) were directors at Røros Copperwork.

The harts from Jutland edit

The harts from Jutland are believed to descend from Jacob Schade (b. ca. 1540), who was from Varde in Jutland and perhaps of an old, German noble family. His son Peder Jacobsen Schade (1571–1641) in Kalundborg was the father of Søren Pedersen (Callundborg) (1607–1650). His three sons called themselves Hiort. One of his paternal grandsons, Severin Casper Hiorth (ca. 1668–1717), came to Trondheim in Norway.

Prominent harts edit

Literature and sources edit