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Shuck is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Shuck family lived in Warwickshire which is derived from the Old English word scucca, meaning goblin or demon, and burgh meaning hill. Combined the place meant "hill or mound haunted by an evil spirit." 1 The place name was listed as Socheberge 2 in the Domesday Book of 1086.
The surname Shuck was first found in Warwickshire at Upper Shuckburgh, a parish, in the union of Southam, Southam division of the hundred of Knightlow.
"Shuckburgh Park, the seat of the ancient family of Shuckburgh. Dugdale supposes that William de Shuckburgh, in the time of King John, was the first who assumed the name; in subsequent reigns several of the family held offices of great trust and authority in the county. The mansion is a spacious and elegant structure, in an extensive park, abounding in deer, but whose woodland recesses do not possess their former beauty, much of the timber having been felled." 3
Prior to the year 1200, their history is obscured but most assume it to be descended from Herlwin, the Domesday tenant of Shuckburgh who held the manor from the Count of Meulan in the year 1086 or from Alwin, the tenant of the other half who held it from Thorkell of Warwick. The Shuckburgh family have held the manor ever since.
Today, Shuckburgh Hall is a privately owned country house mansion and has been the home of the Shuckburgh family since the 12th century. "William de Suckberge is presumed to be the first who assumed the name, from Shuckborough Superior, in this county; he was living in the third of John." 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shuck research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1210, 1596, 1650 and 1656 are included under the topic Early Shuck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Shuckburgh, Shuckborough, Shuckburg, Shuckberg and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
In the United States, the name Shuck is the 7,722nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Shuck or a variant listed above:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: