Show ContentsHichenson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Hichenson was Ó hUgin, which is derived from the word uiging, which is akin to the Norse word Viking. 1

Early Origins of the Hichenson family

The surname Hichenson was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Hichenson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hichenson research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1616, 1629, 1630, 1652, 1692, 1698, 1708 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Hichenson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hichenson Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Hichenson dating from that time include Higginson, Hickinson, Hickenson, Hickeson and many more.

Early Notables of the Hichenson family

Notable among the family name at this time was Isabel Hickinson who was buried at St. Johns Church, Dublin. Francis Higginson (1588-1630), was an English-born Puritan minister who led a group of about 350 settlers on six ships from England to New England in 1629, one year before the Winthrop Fleet. He became the first minister of Salem, Massachusetts. A portion of his diary was published in 1630 under the title, "New Englands Plantation, or a Short and True...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hichenson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hichenson family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Hichenson or a variant listed above, including: Anne, Charles, Frances, John, Mary, Neophytus, Samuel, Pheophilus, Timothy Higginson, who all settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629; Humphrey Higginson settled in Virginia in 1635.



The Hichenson 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: Malo mori quam foedari
Motto Translation: I would rather die than be disgraced.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook