Hecht (surname)

Hecht is a surname of German and Yiddish (העכט, hekht) origin. In both languages, the word means "pike".

Notable people with the surname include:

Politics and Law

 * Burton Hecht (born 1927), New York politician and judge
 * Chic Hecht, former U.S. Senator from Nevada and U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas
 * Daryl Hecht (1952–2019), American judge
 * Evelyn Hecht-Galinski (born 1949), Jewish-German activist
 * Greg Hecht, American politician
 * Jon Hecht (born 1958), Massachusetts legislator, attorney and China law expert
 * Michael Hecht, birth name of Michael Howard, British politician and leader of the Conservative Party from 2003 until 2005
 * Nathan Hecht, American judge
 * Sue Hecht, American politician

Academics

 * Daniel Friedrich Hecht (1777–1833), German mathematician
 * Eugene Hecht (born 1938), American physicist
 * Friedrich Hecht (1903–1980), Austrian chemist and writer
 * Frederick Hecht, American pediatrician, medical geneticist and teacher (descendant of Sam Hecht, Jr, co-founder of Hecht's)
 * Michael Hecht (communication scientist), researcher in human communication
 * Selig Hecht, American physiologist and atomic energy expositor
 * Stefan Hecht, German chemist, professor at Humboldt University of Berlin
 * Tobias Hecht, American anthropologist, ethnographer, and translator (descendant of Sam Hecht, Jr, co-founder of Hecht's)
 * Robert Hecht-Nielsen, artificial intelligence and cognition theorist

Literature

 * Anthony Hecht (1923–2004), American poet
 * Daniel Hecht, American novelist
 * Jennifer Michael Hecht (born 1965), American poet, historian, philosopher, and author

Entertainment

 * Albie Hecht, former president of Spike TV and Nickelodeon
 * Ben Hecht, prolific Hollywood screenwriter
 * Erik Hecht, real name of German musician Eric Fish
 * Gina Hecht (born 1953), American actress
 * Harold Hecht, film producer
 * Jessica Hecht, American actress
 * Larry Hecht (1918-2008), better known as Larry Haines, American actor
 * Paul Hecht, Canadian actor

Sports

 * Duvall Hecht, American Olympic champion row
 * Gerhard Hecht (1923-2005), German boxer
 * Jeff Hecht, Canadian football player
 * Jochen Hecht, German ice hockey player
 * Ladislav Hecht (1909–2004), Czech-American professional tennis player
 * Michael Hecht, German soccer player
 * Raymond Hecht, German javelin-thrower

Business

 * Ernest Hecht (1929–2018), British publisher
 * Lotte Irene Hecht (1919-1983), German-Canadian entrepreneur, founder of "The 1945 Foundation", a Canadian charity organization
 * Robert E. Hecht (1919–2012), American antiquities dealer
 * Reuben Hecht (1909–1993), Israeli industrialist.
 * Sam Hecht (born 1969), British industrial designer
 * Sam Hecht, Jr., American retailer, co-founder of Hecht's

Other

 * Abraham Hecht (1922–2013), American Orthodox rabbi, Rabbi Emeritus of Cong. Shaarei Zion (largest Syrian community besides Israel).
 * Anton Hecht, English artist and filmmaker
 * Erwin Hecht, O.M.I. (1933–2016), German Roman Catholic bishop
 * Estelle Hecht, Canadian artist and gallery owner
 * Hans-Joachim Hecht, German chess grandmaster
 * Jacob J. Hecht (1924–1990), American rabbi
 * John Rudolf Hecht (1911-1988), Austrian-Canadian entrepreneur and Austrian Honorary Consul in Kanada, founder of "The 1945 Foundation", a Canadian charity organization
 * Joan Hecht, American writer and activist
 * Józef Hecht (1891–1951), also known as Joseph Hecht, Polish printmaker and painter
 * Kenneth Hecht, American public interest attorney, health and nutrition advocate (descendant of Sam Hecht, Jr., co-founder of Hecht's)
 * Kenneth Hecht (disambiguation)
 * Lina Frank Hecht (1848–1920), Boston philanthropist
 * Mary Hecht (1931–2013), American-born Canadian sculptor
 * Nathan Hecht (born 1949), Texas Supreme Court Justice
 * Sigmund Hecht (1849–1925), Hungarian-born Reform rabbi in Montgomery, Alabama; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Los Angeles, California.

Hechtman

 * Gideon Gechtman (1942, Cairo - 2008), an Israeli artist, sculptor
 * J. F. Hechtman (1854–1933), American politician
 * Ken Hechtman (born 1967), a Jewish Canadian freelance journalist
 * Max Hechtman (born 1997), American filmmaker