Bican History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Bican

What does the name Bican mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Bican comes from when the family resided in Bikome, a town in the county of Somerset.

Early Origins of the Bican family

The surname Bican was first found in Somerset where Kirby's Quest listed the first two entries for the name: Walter de Bikome, Somerset, 1 Edward III and Godfrey de Bycorobe, Somerset, 1 Edward III. 1 In both cases, these poeple lived "1 Edward III," or in other words "during the first year of King Edward III's reign."

Early History of the Bican family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bican research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1743, 1747, 1758 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Bican History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bican Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bican has been recorded under many different variations, including Bickham, Bickam, Bigham, Biggam, Bigholme, Bighone, Begholm, Beghome, Biggem and many more.

Early Notables of the Bican family

George Bickham the Elder (d. 1769), writing-master and engraver, born about the end of the seventeenth century. "He was the most celebrated penman of his time, and published in 1743 a folio volume entitled 'The Universal Penman . . . exemplified in all the useful and ornamental branches of modern Penmanship." 2 His...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bican Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bican family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bican or a variant listed above: Richard Bickham who settled in Barbados in 1685; George Bickham settled in Philadelphia in 1830; Margaret Biggam settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1767.

Sources +

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