Show ContentsHichie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Hichie is Ó hIcidhe, originally derived from the word "iceadh," which refers to a "physician" or "healer." 1

Early Origins of the Hichie family

The surname Hichie was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Hichie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hichie research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1014 and 1641 are included under the topic Early Hichie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hichie Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Hichie were found in the many archives researched. These included Hickey, Hickie, O'Hickey, O'Hickie, Hicky and others.

Early Notables of the Hichie family

Notable among the family name at this time was Antony Hickey (d. 1641), Irish theologian who belonged to the Irish family of h-Icidhe, of co. Clare, many members of which practised medicine during some generations. "Hickey projected publications on the history and hagiography of Ireland, for which his acquirements and...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hichie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hichie family

Under the rule of England, land ownership in Ireland changed dramatically, and many native Irish families found themselves renting out land to farm from absentee owners. This was one of the prime reasons that immigration to North America began in the late 18th century: Irish farmers dreamed of owning their own parcel of land to work for themselves. At this point, the immigrants were at least of modest means for the passage across the Atlantic was often quite dear. In the 1840s the Great Potato Famine created an exodus of people of quite different means. These people were most often destitute: they either sold anything they had to gain a passage or they were sponsored by philanthropic societies. Many of these immigrants were sick from disease and starvation: as a result many did not survive the long transatlantic journey. Although those settlers that did survive were often despised and discriminated against by people already established in these nations, they were critical to rapid development of the powerful industrial nations of the United States and the country that would later become known as Canada. An examination of immigration and passenger lists shows many persons bearing the name of Hichie or one of its variants: James Hickey settled in Boston in 1768; Catharine Hickey settled in Pennsylvania in 1772; Daniel, Denis, Edward, James, John, Lawrence, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and William Hickey arrived in Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1855. In Newfoundland, William Hickey settled in St. John's in 1755.



The Hichie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Honor virtutis praemium
Motto Translation: Honor is the reward of virtue.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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