Contents [hide]

Hitchcock History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hitchcock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England of 1066 added many new elements to the already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Hitchcock name is derived from the personal name Richard. It is composed of the elements Hitch, which is a pet form of the name Richard, and the suffix -cock, a medieval term of endearment. 1

In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. However, by the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions.

Early Origins of the Hitchcock family

The surname Hitchcock was first found in various shires and counties throughout Britain. One of the first records of the name was simply listed as Hichecoc with no personal name in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1260. 2

A similar entry with no personal name appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 for Yorkshire as Hichecok. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire listed Richard Hichecokes there in 1327 and John Higecok was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in the same year. William Hygecok, Hichecok were listed in 1329 and 1360. 2 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Willelmus Higecok. 1

Early History of the Hitchcock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hitchcock research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1739, 1775, 1776 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Hitchcock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hitchcock Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Hitchcock, Hichcock, Hiscock, Hiscox, Hitchcocke, Hedgecock, Hitchcoke, Hitchcott and many more.

Early Notables of the Hitchcock family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Daniel Hitchcock (1739-1777), American attorney and graduate of Yale University...

Hitchcock Ranking

In the United States, the name Hitchcock is the 2,303^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in New Zealand, the name Hitchcock is ranked the 766^th most popular surname with an estimated 955 people with that name. 4

Hitchcock migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hitchcock or a variant listed above:

Hitchcock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Thomas Hitchcock, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Mary Gold" 5
Mr. Tho Hitchcock, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Paul" in 1635 5
Mr. Wm Hitchcock, aged 27, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Plain Joan" 5
Mr. Matthew Hitchcock, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Susan and Ellin" 5
William Hitchcock, who, who settled in New England in 1635
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hitchcock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Franklin Hitchcock, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 6

Hitchcock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hitchcock Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Hitchcock U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 7
Mr. Miles Hitchcock U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 7
Mr. Miles Hitchcock Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 7

Hitchcock migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hitchcock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Hitchcock, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for life, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Robert Hitchcock, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Robert Hitchcock, English convict from Nottingham, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Robert Hitchcock who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
William Hitchcock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ganges" in 1839 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hitchcock migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hitchcock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

A. J. Hitchcock, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 13

Hitchcock migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Hitchcock Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Hitchcock, who arrived in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Hitchcock (post 1700) +

Sir Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), English director, one of the most influential film writers, and directors, nominated for best director for his films "Rear Window" and "Psycho" and others
Reginald Ingram Montgomery Hitchcock (1892-1950), American film and stage actor known as Rex Ingram, known for his role in "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940)
Thomas Hitchcock Jr. (1900-1944), American polo player and aviator who was killed in an air crash during World War II
Raymond Hitchcock (1865-1929), American silent film actor, stage actor, and stage producer
Ripley Hitchcock (1857-1918), born James Ripley Wellman Hitchcock, an American editor
Rufus Wilber Hitchcock (1868-1961), American newspaper publisher, educator, and politician
Roswell Dwight Hitchcock (1817-1887), American Congregationalist clergyman
Simon C. Hitchcock (1801-1878), American book publisher and politician from New York
Sterling Alex Hitchcock (b. 1971), American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher
Jimmy Davis Hitchcock Jr. (b. 1970), former American football cornerback in the National Football League
... (Another 52 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GANGES 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Ganges.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies