Show ContentsHosken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the name Hosken are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the name Os, which is a short form for several personal names, including Osgod, Osbeorn, and Osmær. Os is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin. While early records almost all include the "O" prefix, over the years this was dropped and now we typically find the name with an "H" prefix. One source notes that the name could have been derived from the Dutch personal name, Huskens. [1]

Early Origins of the Hosken family

The surname Hosken was first found in Lancashire at Heskin, a township, in the parish of Eccleston, union of Chorley, hundred of Leyland. "Heskin being a joint manor with Eccleston, descended with it from the Gernets and Dacres to the family of Molyneux, of Sefton." [2]

Early London rolls included the two earliest records of the family. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1274 listed Osekin (without surname) and Robert Osekin. [3] [4]

Peter Osekyn was listed in the Feet of Fines of 1306 in Essex, and later Thomas Hoskyns was listed in Berkshire in 1463. [4]

Early History of the Hosken family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hosken research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1568, 1590, 1593, 1603, 1609, 1615, 1634, 1638, 1640, 1646, 1648, 1654, 1664, 1675, 1676, 1677, 1680, 1682, 1683, 1694, 1705, 1711, 1717, 1722, 1764 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Hosken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hosken Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hosken family name include Hoskins, Hoskin, Hosken, Hoskyne, Hoskyns, Haskin, Haskins, Hasken, Haskyne and many more.

Early Notables of the Hosken family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Jane Fenn Hoskens (1694-1764), was an English author and early immigrant to America


United States Hosken migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hosken surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Hosken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Archil Hosken, aged 33, who landed in America from Cornwall, in 1899
  • E Jane Hosken, who immigrated to the United States from Cornwall, in 1899
  • Mr. Archie Hosken, (b. 1866), aged 33, Cornish granite cutter travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th August 1899 en route to Quincy, Massachusetts, USA [5]
  • Miss Beatrice Hosken, (b. 1898), aged 1, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th August 1899 en route to Quincy, Massachusetts, USA [5]
  • Miss E. Jane Hosken, (b. 1871), aged 28, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th August 1899 en route to Quincy, Massachusetts, USA [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hosken Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Harry Hosken, (b. 1879), aged 22, Cornish labourer from Launceston, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 17th July 1901 en route to Ironwood, Michigan, USA [5]
  • Mrs. Rosa Hosken, (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 19th July 1903 en route to Hazelton, Pennsylvania, USA [5]
  • Miss Elizabeth Hosken, (b. 1902), aged 11 months, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 19th July 1903 en route to Hazelton, Pennsylvania, USA [5]
  • Elizabeth Hosken, aged 1, who immigrated to America from Cornwall, in 1903
  • George Hosken, aged 21, who landed in America from Cornwall, in 1906
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Hosken migration to Australia +

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

Hosken Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Hosken, (b. 1821), aged 33, Cornish agricultural labourer departing from Plymouth in May1854 aboard the ship "Geelong" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11th August 1854 [6]
  • Mrs. Ann Hosken, (b. 1828), aged 26, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth in May1854 aboard the ship "Geelong" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11th August 1854 [6]
  • Mr. Thomas Hosken, (b. 1825), aged 29, Cornish agricultural labourer departing from Plymouth in May1854 aboard the ship "Geelong" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11th August 1854 [6]
  • Mrs. Maria Hosken, (b. 1823), aged 31, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth in May1854 aboard the ship "Geelong" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11th August 1854 [6]
  • Mr. James Hosken, (b. 1863), aged 22, Cornish gardener travelling aboard the ship "SS Aberdeen" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 25th October 1885 [7]

New Zealand Hosken 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:

Hosken Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Hester Hosken, (b. 1848), aged 19, Cornish domestic servant departing on 2nd April 1867 aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 [8]
  • Miss Hester Hosken, (b. 1848), aged 19, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" sailing to Auckland and Lyttelton, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 [9]
  • Mr. George Hosken, (b. 1854), aged 20, Cornish carpenter departing on 3rd November 1874 aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 21st January 1875 [8]
  • Miss Jane Hosken, (b. 1863), aged 20, Cornish dairymaid departing on 25th October 1883 aboard the ship "Waitangi" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th January 1884 [8]
  • Miss Laura Hosken, (b. 1861), aged 22, Cornish dairymaid departing on 25th October 1883 aboard the ship "Waitangi" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th January 1884 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hosken (post 1700) +

  • James Hosken (1798-1885), British vice-admiral and pioneer of ocean steam navigation, born at Plymouth on 6 Dec. 1798 [10]


The Hosken 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: Finem respice
Motto Translation: Consider the end


  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  7. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 7 August 2020


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