Show ContentsDerrickson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Derrickson is Ó Deirg, from the word "dearg," which means red. [1]

Early Origins of the Derrickson family

The surname Derrickson was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat in the baronies of Carra, Erris, and Tyrawley. They were descended from Fiachra, brother of Niall Mor, more commonly known as King Niall of the Nine Hostages, perhaps Ireland's greatest General/King.

Early History of the Derrickson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Derrickson research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1578, 1601, 1608 and 1656 are included under the topic Early Derrickson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derrickson Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Derrickson were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Derig, O'Derig, O'Derrig, Derrig, Derieg, Derick, Derrick, O'Derick, O'Derrick, O'Durrig, Durrig, Derigan, Derigen and many more.

Early Notables of the Derrickson family

Notable among the family name at this time was Donogh Dáll Ó Derrig, aka Blind Donogh O'Derrick, Irish rapparee, executed December 1656.Thomas Derrick (fl. 1608) was an English executioner. Little is known of his lineage. However, he was convicted of rape, and was subequently pardoned if he became the executioner at Tyburn. Derrick executed more than 3,000 people in his career, including his pardoner, the Earl of Essex, in 1601. The...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Derrickson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derrickson Ranking

In the United States, the name Derrickson is the 18,265th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]


United States Derrickson migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Derrickson or a variant listed above:

Derrickson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • K S Derrickson, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [3]
  • B F Derrickson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Derrickson (post 1700) +

  • Vernon B. Derrickson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1952 (alternate), 1956, 1960 [4]
  • Richard P. Derrickson, American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives 95th District, 1871-73 [5]
  • Charles Derrickson, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for California, 1972 [6]


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Vernon Derrickson. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Richard Derrickson. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Charles Derrickson. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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