Show ContentsHickie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Hickie is Ó hIcidhe, originally derived from the word "iceadh," which refers to a "physician" or "healer." 1

Early Origins of the Hickie family

The surname Hickie was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Hickie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hickie research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1014 and 1641 are included under the topic Early Hickie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hickie Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Hickie were found in the many archives researched. These included Hickey, Hickie, O'Hickey, O'Hickie, Hicky and others.

Early Notables of the Hickie family

Notable among the family name at this time was Antony Hickey (d. 1641), Irish theologian who belonged to the Irish family of h-Icidhe, of co. Clare, many members of which practised medicine during some generations. "Hickey projected publications on the history and hagiography of Ireland, for which his acquirements and...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hickie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hickie migration to the United States +

Irish immigrants began to leave the English-controlled Ireland in sizable numbers during the late 18th century. Many of these Irish immigrated to British North America or the United States in the hopes of gaining their own tract of farmland. This pattern of migration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine caused a great exodus of immigrants to North America. These immigrants differed from their predecessors in that they were desperately fleeing the disease and starvation that plagued their homeland, and many were entirely destitute when they arrived in North America. Although these penniless immigrants were not warmly welcomed when they arrived, they were critical to the rapid development of the United States and what would become known as Canada. Many went to populate the western frontiers and others provided the cheap labor the new manufacturing sector and the building of bridges, roads, railways, and canals required. A thorough examination of immigration and passenger lists has revealed some of the earliest people to arrive in North America with name Hickie or one of its variants:

Hickie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A. Hickie, aged 21, who landed in America from Kerry, in 1892
  • Mary Hickie, aged 18, who landed in America from Ireland, in 1892
  • Maggie Hickie, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1894
  • Edward Hickie, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1894
  • Ellen Hickie, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1895
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hickie Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mary Hickie, aged 22, who landed in America from Tullamore, in 1902
  • Mary Hickie, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States from Mount Strannon, Ireland, in 1907
  • Nellie Hickie, aged 22, who settled in America from Kilkee, Ireland, in 1909
  • Lizzie Hickie, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States from Scaniff, Ireland, in 1912
  • James Hickie, aged 25, who landed in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1921
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Hickie migration to Australia +

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

Hickie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Hickie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2
  • Sarah Hickie, aged 23, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"

Contemporary Notables of the name Hickie (post 1700) +

  • Gavin Hickie (b. 1980), American Head Coach and Director of Rugby for the U.S. Naval Academy and the USA Rugby Collegiate All-Americans National Team
  • Denis Anthony Hickie (b. 1976), Irish retired professional rugby union player in the Irish Rugby Football Union
  • Major-General Sir William Bernard Hickie (1865-1950), Irish-born, Major General of the British Army and an Irish nationalist
  • Darryl Hickie (b. 1964), Canadian politician, Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly for Prince Albert Carlton (2007-2016)
  • James Hall Gordon Hickie (b. 1948), Scottish cinematographer

HMS Cornwall
  • Edward Thomas Hickie (d. 1942), British Leading Seaman aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 3


The Hickie 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: Honor virtutis praemium
Motto Translation: Honor is the reward of virtue.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  3. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A


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