The Henschke Name
Did you even wonder what was the derivation of the Henschke name? According to the Lexicon of Germanic Family Names the name Henschke is derived from the given name Johann, this was often shortened to Hans, and depending on the dialect of the area, a dimunitive suffix was added similarly to our use of John(ny) etc. in English. Thus we have other similar names such as Henschel, Henke, Handke and etc.
In Germany, as in the rest of Europe, surnames or family names are of comparatively recent origin. Villages were small and isolated and people were easily identified by their given names; these were often Saints' names hence our term "Christian" names. As populations increased it became necessary to differentiate between many individuals with the same name. Some individuals were identified by their occupations so we have names similar to the English Miller, Smith, Baker, Cooper etc. Others were given names based on locality or some feature or land-mark near which they lived. Some used their father's name and added their own given name to this. The name Henschke is one of the latter.
Another derivative of the name I came across that hent was a form of hand and schke a version of schuh or shoe, hence the adoption of a gauntlet or glove in Bishop Henschke's Coat of Arms.
It is interesting to note the variations of this name. In attempting to discover who the parents of the three brothers who migrated to Australia were (unsuccessful), I came across the following spellings: Hanschke, Handschke, Haenschke, Haentsch, Handschey, Haentze, Hantschke, Haendschke, Haentschek, Haentzschke, Henschke, Hentschke, Hentsch, Hentsche, Hentsches, Hentschker, Henschler, Hentschler, Hentscke, Hentschne, Hentseinger, Hentsen, Hentserling, Hentsie, Hentszschel, Henschel, Hentten, Hentwick, Hentwig, Hentz, Hentzberger, Hentzchel, Hentze, Hentzel, Hentzeler, Hentzelin, Hentzelins, Hentzell, Hentzelmann, Henzelmann, Hentzels, Hentzes, Hentzelsch. The name is also related to Heinz and Heinrich and their derivatives.
This information was taken from the Mormon Genealogical records.