Spicer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


The name Spicer was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Spicer is for a grocer which was in turn derived from the Old French word espice, of the same meaning. 1 2

"What we now call a grocer, because, inter alia, he deals in figs (grossi), the French call an epicier, or spicer, because he sells spices." 3

Early Origins of the Spicer family

The surname Spicer was first found in Devon where conjecturally the Spicers were under tenants of the Count of Mortain at the time of the Norman Conquest. Benedict le Spicer was listed in the Rotuli de Oblatis et Finibus, at the time of King John. 4

Some of the first entries in early rolls for the family include: William le Espicer in the Pipe Rolls for Kent in 1184; Bertram le Specier in the Pipe Rolls for Hampshire and in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1201; and Hugo le Especer in the Curia Regis Rolls for Cambridge in 1214. 5

Later, the singular form of the name appeared: William Spice in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1326; and Clement Spice in the Feet of Fines for Cambridgeshire in 1399. 5

A search of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed: Simon le Spicere, Cambridgeshire; William le Spicere, Oxfordshire; and William Speciar, Lincolnshire. Up in the north of England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 show the name as both a trade name and a surname: Adam Spisar, spicer; and Giliaum Spyser, 1379. 6

Continuing our quest north into Scotland, the name had the same meaning "spicer, dealer in spices," and two early entries, both as a result of the invasion of King Edward I of England: "Rauf le Spicer rendered homage, 1296, and Eustace Lespicer and Martin Lespicer rendered homage at Berwick, 1291." 7

Early History of the Spicer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spicer research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1296, 1743, 1765, 1773, 1774, 1777, 1783, 1792 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Spicer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spicer Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Spicer were recorded, including Spicer, Spicers, Spice and others.

Early Notables of the Spicer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Spicer Ranking

In the United States, the name Spicer is the 1,741st most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Spicer family to Ireland

Some of the Spicer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Spicer migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Spicer arrived in North America very early:

Spicer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Spicer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Spicer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Spicer Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Spicer Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Spicer migration to Australia +

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

Spicer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Spicer 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:

Spicer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Spicer migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18
Spicer Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Spicer (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Spicer +
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