The ancient
Anglo-Saxon surname Hitchen came 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 Hitchen family
The surname Hitchen 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 Hitchen family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hitchen research.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1279, 1332, 1665, 1675 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Hitchen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hitchen 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. Hitchen has been recorded under many different variations, including Hitchins, Hitchen, Hitchens, Hitchin, Hitchings, Hitchins, Hitching and many more.
Early Notables of the Hitchen family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Hitchen Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Hitchen 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 Hitchen or a variant listed above:
Hitchen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Edward Hitchen, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Hitchen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Henry Hitchen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm - Mr. William Hitchen, (b. 1852), aged 31, English gardener, from Somerset, England, UK travelling aboard the ship "Smyrna" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 29th September 1883 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf - Mrs. Catherine Hitchen, (b. 1852), aged 31, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Smyrna" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 29th September 1883 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf - Miss Hitchen, (b. 1883), aged Infant, Cornish settler born aboard the ship "Smyrna" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 29th September 1883 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf
Hitchen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Joseph Hitchen, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
- Elizabeth Hitchen, aged 26, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
- John Hitchen, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
- Sarah Hitchen, aged 3, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
Contemporary Notables of the name Hitchen (post 1700)
- Trevor Hitchen (b. 1926), retired English footballer who played from 1945 to 1959
- Steven James Hitchen (b. 1976), retired English professional footballer from Salford who played from 1995 to 2004
- Brian Hitchen CBE (1936-2013), English publisher and former newspaper editor of the Daily Star (1987-1994) and Sunday Express (1994-1995)
Historic Events for the Hitchen family
- Mr. John Hitchen, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales and survived the sinking [7]CITATION[CLOSE]
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
- Mr. William Hitchen, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse and died in the sinking [8]CITATION[CLOSE]
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Hitchen Family Crest Products
See Also
Citations
- ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- ^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- ^ Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- ^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- ^ State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm
- ^ Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf
- ^ HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
- ^ HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html