Ricketson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Ricketson was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old German name "Ricard," meaning "powerful" and "brave." [1]

Early Origins of the Ricketson family

The surname Ricketson was first found in Cheshire in 1067 where they were descended from Hugh d'Avranche, Earl Lupus of Chester. His descendant, William Belwood, Lord of Malpas in Cheshire, had two sons, David and Richard. Richard's grandson John was the first to bear the name Richardson.

Years later the Yorkshire Poll Tax records revealed William Richardson in 1381 and further north in Scotland, Thome filius Ricardi held a charter of the barony of Symundestone in Lanark c. 1315-1321. A few years later, Laurence filius Ricardi was a tenant of the Earl of Douglas in Louchurde in 1376. Murdac Richardesson, a Scottish merchant complained the English had sunk his vessel during a truce in 1359. [2]

Ricketson is "essentially a north of England name, extending across the border into Dumfriesshire, and also, but to a less extent, characteristic of most of the east coast counties as far south as Kent and Sussex. The counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, Northumberland, and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire contain the greatest number of the name." [3]

Early History of the Ricketson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ricketson research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1572, 1576, 1580, 1594, 1600, 1603, 1606, 1618, 1624, 1625, 1627, 1628, 1635, 1642, 1651, 1654, 1660, 1664, 1667, 1674, 1679, 1682, 1686, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1693, 1698, 1714, 1715, 1737, 1747, 1753, 1755, 1761, 1820 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ricketson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ricketson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Richardson, Richerson, Richarson and others.

Early Notables of the Ricketson family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Dame Elizabeth Richardson, 1st Lady Cramond (1576-1651), English writer whose peerage was created for her in 1628; Sir Thomas Richardson (1569-1635), Chief Justice of the King's Bench; Thomas Richardson, 2nd Lord Cramond (1627-1674), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1674. Christopher Richardson (1618-1698), was an English nonconformist divine who appears to have been born at Sheriff Hutton, Yorkshire. Gabriel Richardson (died 1642), was...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ricketson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ricketson Ranking

In the United States, the name Ricketson is the 17,587^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]

Migration of the Ricketson family to Ireland

Some of the Ricketson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ricketson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ricketson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Ricketson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ricketson (post 1700) +

Staniforth Ricketson DCM (1891-1967), Australian stockbroker, financier, and politician, Member of the Australian Labor Party
James Staniforth Ricketson (b. 1949), Australian film director
Doug Ricketson (b. 1939), Australian former rugby league footballer in the New South Wales Rugby League
Damien Ricketson (b. 1973), Australian composer of contemporary classical music
Luke Ricketson (b. 1973), Australian former professional rugby league footballer from Forster, New South Wales
William Ricketson Wing (1830-1908), and his brother Joseph, American founders and owners of whaling company J. & W. R. Wing Company, the largest whaling firm in the United States

The Ricketson 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: Virtute acquiritur honos
Motto Translation: Honour is aquired by virtue.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)