| ![Show Contents]() Hotchkis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Hotchkis family name to the British Isles. Hotchkis comes from the Norman personal name Roger. Hotchkis was a baptismal name which is a pet form of Roger 1 as in "the son of little Hodge." 2 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 Hotchkis familyThe surname Hotchkis was first found in Shropshire where the name "is a characteristic Shropshire name, and one especially numerous in the district of Church Stretton." 3 The first record of the name was William Hochekys who was listed in Shropshire in 1470. 4 Early History of the Hotchkis familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hotchkis research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1453, 1470, 1645, 1677, 1690, 1765, 1790, 1826, 1836, 1872 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Hotchkis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hotchkis Spelling VariationsEndless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Hotchkiss, Hotchkis and others. Early Notables of the Hotchkis familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Herman Hotchkiss (1765-1836), an early settler of East Haven, Connecticut credited as founder of Fair Haven, Connecticut...
- Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss (1826-1885) was one of the leading American ordnance engineers of his day...
- He invented the Hotchkiss revolving cannon was a rotating barrel weapon invented in 1872 and later the Hotchkiss machine gun...
 Hotchkis migration to the United States | + |
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Hotchkis or a variant listed above:
Hotchkis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Richard Hotchkis, who landed in Maryland in 1720 5
Hotchkis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Mr. Hotchkis, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1821 5
| Contemporary Notables of the name Hotchkis (post 1700) | + |
- Joan Hotchkis (1927-2022), American stage, screen and television actress, writer and performance artist, a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and the Dramatists Guild
- Mark Hotchkis (b. 1969), American former racing driver from Pasadena, California
- Joseph Preston Hotchkis (1893-1989), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1932 (alternate), 1940, 1944, 1948 (alternate), 1952 (alternate), 1964 6
- Daniel Hotchkis (b. 1985), Australian field hockey player who played state level hockey for the Canberra Lakers in the Australian Hockey League, member of the Australia men's national field hockey team
- Anna Mary Hotchkis RSA (1885-1984), Scottish artist, writer and lecturer on art who exhibited in London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Scotland
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Hotchkis migration to the United States 
