Bikel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Bikel family

The surname Bikel was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1182 when held Ralph de Besacre was once held.

Early History of the Bikel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bikel research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1382, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Bikel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bikel Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bikel has appeared include Biskell, Bissaker, Bisseker, Bisaker, Bisacre and others.

Early Notables of the Bikel family

More information is included under the topic Early Bikel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bikel migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bikel arrived in North America very early:

Bikel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pierre Bikel, aged 5, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Bikel (post 1700) +

Theodore Meir Bikel (1924-2015), Austrian-born, American Jewish actor, folk singer, musician, composer, and activist

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)