The history of the name Hickons begins with the
Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name
Richard. As the naming tradition grew in Europe baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honor of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.
Early Origins of the Hickons family
The surname Hickons was first found in
Hertfordshire at Hitchin, a market town and parish, and the head of a union, in the
hundred of Hitchin and Pirton.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. The place name pre-dates the
Norman Conquest as the first record the place was found c. 945 as Hiccam. By the time of the
Domesday Book, the town was known as Hiz, and literally meant "place in the territory of the tribe called Hicce. "
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) The river Hiz is nearby and no doubt the river's name was derived from the same. As far as the surname is concerned, the first record of the name was John Hichum who was listed in the
Rotuli Hundredorum of 1279 in
Oxfordshire. A few years later, the name Hichoun was listed in the Assize Rolls of
Cheshire in 1286.
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Early History of the Hickons family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hickons research.
Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1279, 1332, 1665, 1675 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Hickons History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hickons 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. Hickons has been recorded under many different variations, including Hitchins, Hitchen, Hitchens, Hitchin, Hitchings, Hitchins, Hitching and many more.
Early Notables of the Hickons family (pre 1700)
Another 24 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hickons Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Hickons family to the New World and Oceana
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 Hickons or a variant listed above: John Hitchens settled in Virginia in 1654; Arthur Hitchens settled in Maine in 1616 four years before the "Mayflower"; Margaret and Anne Hitchens settled in Barbados in 1663.