Houchin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Viking settlers in ancient Scotland were the ancestors of the first people to use the name Houchin. It comes from Huchon, a diminutive form of Hugh. 1 Patronymic surnames arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. This name is the equivalent of Hugh in the vernacular of Scotland. Today, the plural form of the name is more popular as in "Hutchins" or "Hutchens," but years ago the singular form was far more common.
Early Origins of the Houchin family
The surname Houchin was first found in Ross-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois), a former county now part of the Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles in Northern Scotland, which emerged from the Gaelic lordship of the Earl of Ross, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
The variants Hutcheon and Hutchon were the most common spellings used in both forenames and surnames in Scotland, as we shall soon see.
"Huchon was used in the thirteenth century instead of Huon as the regular oblique case of Hue. In Scotland during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries Hutcheoun (ch sibilant) regularly appears as a Christian name, the equivalent of Hugh or Hew in the vernacular. Hucheon Fraser, Lord of the Lovet is mentioned in 1422 and in 1510 a succeeding Lord Lowat is named Heow. Huchon Ker appears in 1467, and Huchown the Ross, 1481." 2
Just over the border in Yorkshire, England the Yorkshire Poll Tax had two entries for the family: Isabella Huchon, doghter; and Willelmus Huchon. 3 In Somerset, John Huchoun was registered there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 4
Early History of the Houchin family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Houchin research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1471, 1481, 1494, 1497, 1525, 1547, 1548, 1558, 1565, 1576, 1577, 1581, 1590, 1596, 1598, 1602, 1612, 1628, 1629, 1639, 1641, 1642, 1693, 1698, 1705, 1734, 1773 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Houchin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Houchin Spelling Variations
Translation and spelling were non-standardized practices in the Middle Ages, so scribes had only their ears to rely on. This was a practice of extremely limited efficiency, and spelling variations in names, even within a single document, were the result. Over the years, Houchin has appeared Hutchins, Hutchings, Hutchin, Hutcheon, Huchens, Hutcheons, Hutchon, Houchin, Houchen, Houchens, MacCutcheon, MacQuestion and many more.
Early Notables of the Houchin family
Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Edward Hutchins (1558?-1629), English divine, born about 1558 of poor parents, was, according to Wood, a native of Denbighshire. About 1576 he matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford: he graduated B.A. 1577, and proceeded M.A. 1581 and B.D. 1590. 5
Sir George Hutchins (d. 1705), king's...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Houchin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Houchin Ranking
In the United States, the name Houchin is the 10,486th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Migration of the Houchin family to Ireland
Some of the Houchin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Houchin migration to the United States +
The fertile east coast of what would become US and Canada was soon dotted with the farms of Scottish settlers. Some of them remained faithful to the crown and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others had the chance to pay back their old oppressors in the American War of Independence. That brave spirit lives on today in the highland games that dot North America in the summer. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Houchin family came to North America quite early:
Houchin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Jeremiah Houchin, who sailed to New England in 1630
- Jeremy Houchin, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1640 7
Houchin migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Houchin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Elizabeth Houchin, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 8
- Susan Houchin, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Houchin (post 1700) +
- John Houchin, American discoverer of Mammoth Cave in 1797, now known as Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest cave system known in the world; according to family records, Houchin was bear hunting and when the bear turned and chased him, he found the cave entrance and hid in the cave
- Erin Houchin, American politician from Salem, Indiana, Member of the Indiana State Senate, representing the 47th district
- Charles "Charlie" Houchin (b. 1987), American four-time gold medalist swimmer, CEO and founder of HydroXphere
- Bobbie Houchin (b. 1964), American professional baseball player
- J. W. Houchin, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, 1932 9
- Thomas Lafayette Houchin Jr. (1923-2005), Sheriff of Alameda County, CA in 1975-1979
- Carl Houchin (b. 1956), Canadian professional hockey player
Citations +
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) KATHERINE STEWART FORBES 1837 arrived Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, on October 17, 1837. . Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837KatherineStewartForbes.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html