Contents [hide]

Hitchen History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Hitchen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

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 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 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

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 1279, 1321, 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

Notables of the family at this time include

Charles Hitchen (c. 1675-1727), English "thief-taker" (unofficial policeman) in London who was also famously tried for homosexuality

Hitchen migration to the United States +

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

Hitchen migration to Australia +

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

Hitchen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Hitchen, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. George Hitchen who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. John Hitchen, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 21 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Hitchen, English convict who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Henry Hitchen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hitchen 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:

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 +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. John Hitchen, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 10

HMS Repulse

Mr. William Hitchen, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 11

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm
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