The name Hatch comes from the French term hacche, and appeared also as
hache. The original people who received the name were stone masons, as
the strike marks on the stones on which they were working were
haching/hatching marks. Hence also the term cross-haching/hatching.  Once the
name/marking became public identity... like Coca-Cola and Coke for all dark soft
drinks... the citizens who made similar marks in their work were
grouped into the family. Eventually, people were hacking/haching/hatching wood
with small axes which became hatchetts. Then came the hatchells, and all
others with hatchxxxxxx names, and the words which included hatch somewhere in
the name... like Teehatchapee and droves of others that sprang from the
contact of Frenchmen and Frenchwomen around the world and in the new world. The
surplus of such names also came from the Native Americans and the
French trading/exploring/working together.

Interestingly enough, if you're a bird lover, the young chick has a
special hard little spot on its beak that it uses to hack/hack/hatch its way
out of its shell. The little spot is like a miniature hatchett and the chick
is said to be "hatching" from the cracks that appear around the shell.
Then the little fella cracks the shell enough to break out, larger and larger
pieces, until he's "free," hatched completely.  Now it's daily language in
other forms: some company has hatched a new idea... and the incubators for
high technology where new companies are "hatching."

Written by Frank Hatch, Jr., of Denver, CO.