Pickels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Pickels begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Pickhall (Pickhill), a parish, in the union of Thirsk, partly in the wapentake of Allertonshire, but chiefly in that of Hallikeld, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. 1 2 3

The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Picala and literally meant "nook of land by the pointed hills," from the Old English "pic" + "halh." 4

However, another source has a slightly different point of origin, having the name mean: 'dweller at the small enclosure’, from the Middle English pightel, pighel. 5

Early Origins of the Pickels family

The surname Pickels was first found in Yorkshire where early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Ricardus de Pighkeleys; and Stephanus de Pykedleghes. Bot resided "in the village of Haworth, in which district the two names are now so familiar. The Directory for Wilsden, West Riding of Yorks, contains the two following names, seemingly related: Nathan Pickles, beer-retailer; and Nathan Pighills, farmer." 6

Later in Lancashire, Henry Pickles was listed there in 1571 and later again, Arthur Pickles was found in Yorkshire in 1672. 5

Early History of the Pickels family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pickels research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pickels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pickels Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Pickels has undergone many spelling variations, including Pickles, Pickel, Pickle, Pykelworthe, Pickleworth and others.

Early Notables of the Pickels family

More information is included under the topic Early Pickels Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pickels family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Pickels were among those contributors: Thomas Pickles settled in Philadelphia in 1866.

Contemporary Notables of the name Pickels (post 1700) +

Henry F. Pickels, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 1872

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)