Contents [hide]

Wick History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Wick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Wick family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Sussex. The name, however, derives from the Old English word wic, which describes someone who lives at an outlying settlement.

Early Origins of the Wick family

The surname Wick was first found in Surrey at Wyke, a tything, in the parish of Worplesdon, union of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Woking. "This place is mentioned in Domesday Book under the name of Wucha, and at an early period was held by a family called De Wyke." 1

Another branch of the family was found at Yatton in Somerset. "The greater portion of [the church of Yatton] appears to have been rebuilt in the 15th century, by the Wyck family, to one of whom is a monument bearing his effigy, in the north transept." 1

Thomas de Wykes (fl. 1258-1293), the English chronicler, took the habit of a canon regular at Osney Abbey, near Oxford, on 14 April 1282. "He mentions in his chronicle various namesakes and probable kinsfolk, including Robert de Wykes (d. 1246), Edith de Wyke (d. 1269), and John de Wykes, who in 1283 took a 'votum profectionis'. The name is a fairly common one, both as a personal and a place name, so that it is highly unsafe to identify him with other bearers of the same name, such as Thomas de Wyke, priest, who before 1249 wished to become a Franciscan friar." 2

Early History of the Wick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wick research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1222, 1293, 1430, 1554, 1593, 1621, 1627, 1628, 1632, 1641, 1643, 1683, 1684, 1699, 1703 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Wick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wick Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Weekes, Weeks, Wikes, Wykes, Wyke, Wix, Wicks, Weykes and many more.

Early Notables of the Wick family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Wykes (1222-c.1293), English chronicler, a canon regular of Oseney Abbey, near Oxford; Thomas Wykes (died c.1430), Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire; Thomas Wykes (fl. 1554), of Moreton Jeffries, Herefordshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Leominster in November 1554; Richard Wyche (or Wiche) (1554-1621), a...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wick Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wick Ranking

In the United States, the name Wick is the 4,481^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Wick migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Wick name or one of its variants:

Wick Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Wick, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1637 4

Wick Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Philip Wick, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 4
Phillip Wick, aged 25, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 4

Wick Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Wick, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 4
VanDer Wick, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 4
Josef Wick, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1854 4
Maria Wick, aged 44, who landed in New York in 1854 4
Christian Wick, who arrived in America in 1856 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wick Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Franz A Wick, aged 18, who landed in New York, NY in 1923 4
Friedericke Wick, aged 18, who arrived in New York, NY in 1923 4

Wick migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wick Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Zapher Wick U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5

Wick migration to Australia +

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

Wick Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Wick, British Convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Wick (post 1700) +

Hal G. Wick (1944-2018), American politician from New Ulm, Minnesota, Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives (2011-2018)
Donna Wick PhD (b. 1956), American author, talk radio host, inspirational speaker and publisher
Hilton Wick (1919-2006), American politician, member of the Vermont State Senate
Colonel George Dennick Wick (1854-1912), American industrialist, founding president of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company
William Watson Wick (1796-1868), U.S. Representative from Indiana
Walter Wick (b. 1953), American artist and photographer
Denis Wick (b. 1931), British orchestral trombonist
Helmut Wick, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 56 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Wick C. Haxton (b. 1949), American theoretical nuclear and astrophysicist
Wick Tayler, American Republican politician, Member of Ohio State House of Representatives from Mahoning County; Elected 1897 7

Historic Events for the Wick family +

RMS Titanic

Mrs. Mary Wick, (née Hitchcock), aged 45, American First Class passenger from Youngstown, Ohio who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 8 8
Colonel George Dennick Wick (d. 1912), aged 58, American First Class passenger from Youngstown, Ohio who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 8
Miss Mary Natalie Wick, aged 31, American First Class passenger from Youngstown, Ohio who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 8 8

USS Arizona

Mr. Everett Morris Wick, American Fire Controlman Third Class from Oregon, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 9

The Wick Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cari Deo nihilo carent
Motto Translation: Those dear to God want nothing.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html