Hickford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Hickford come from when the family resided in the old village of Hickford, Shropshire.

Early Origins of the Hickford family

The surname Hickford was first found in Shropshire, but we must look to Oxfordshire to find one of the first listings of the name, that being Edith de Hicford who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1

"Sir Robert Atkyns, in his Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire, says (p. 109) that 'The Higfords were of an ancient family in Salop, originally styled Hugford.' About the reign of James I the surname was turned into Higford: this, of course, has now become Hickford." 1

Early History of the Hickford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hickford research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1581, 1596, 1597, 1607 and 1657 are included under the topic Early Hickford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hickford Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hickford has been recorded under many different variations, including Hickford, Hikford, Hicford, Higford, Higeford, Hugford and many more.

Early Notables of the Hickford family

Distinguished members of the family include William Higford (1581-1657), born near Alderton, Gloucestershire, a writer and Justice of the Peace. He was a Puritan, born of a good family. On 14 January 1596-1597, he matriculated at Oriel College, Oxford. He married Mary, daughter of...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hickford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hickford migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hickford or a variant listed above:

Hickford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Hickford, who sailed to Maine in 1640
Thomas Hickford, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Hickford (post 1700) +

Lawrence David Hickford, corporate executive in New Zealand
Neil Hickford, co-founder of Trufab (UK)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)