# 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