Chicken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Chicken is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Chicken was a name used for a person with the characteristics of a chicken. From the Old English word cicen, for chicken.
Early Origins of the Chicken family
The surname Chicken was first found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the Chicken family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chicken research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1212, 1273, 1500 and 1650 are included under the topic Early Chicken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Chicken Spelling Variations
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Chicken include Chickin, Chiken, Chikin, Chicken, Chickerin and others.
Early Notables of the Chicken family
More information is included under the topic Early Chicken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Chicken migration to the United States +
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Chicken were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Chicken Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Chicken, who landed in Virginia in 1656 1
Chicken Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- George Chicken, aged 8, who immigrated to the United States from Backworth, in 1903
- Margaret Chicken, aged 28, who settled in America from Backworth, in 1903
- Margaret Chicken, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Sunderland, in 1905
- Anthony Chicken, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from Thumond, England, in 1907
- Cecil Chicken, aged 2, who settled in America from Newcastle, England, in 1910
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Chicken 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:
Chicken Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Joseph Chicken, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- Ann Chicken, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- John Chicken, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- George Chicken, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- Miss Ann Chicken, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "William Watson" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th February 1859 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- 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)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html