Jeckyll History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe generations and branches of the Jeckyll family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Jeckyll comes from the baptismal nameJukel or Gikel. The surname Jeckyll referred to the son of Jukel which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. "The ancient Breton name Judicaël gave birth to the twin-names Juhel and Gicquel, appearing in mediæval English records as Jukel and Gikel." 1 "The Christian name of Judhael de Totnes is still found as a surname in Devonshire as Jewell, and elsewhere as Jekyll and Joel." 2 "This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Jukel' or 'Gikel.' Although the personal name soon died out, the surname formed from it struggled into existence and still lives.' 3 As a forename, the first occurrence was found in the Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London, 1188-1274 where Jukel Alderman was listed as Sheriff of London in 1194. 3 Early Origins of the Jeckyll familyThe surname Jeckyll was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the original Latin forms of the name were found in two entries in Cheshire: Judichel uenator and Judicaelis. 4 A few years later, Gykell, Jukel de Jertheburc was listed in Lincolnshire c.1170 and in 1182; Johannes filius Jokell', Jukell' was entered in the Assize Rolls for 1218; and Jukel Brito was in the Curia Regis Rolls for Norfolk in 1207. 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two early listings of the family: Johannes Jukel, Buckinghamshire; and Richard Gikell, Lincolnshire. 3 Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter ego Mr. Edward Hyde, is the main character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." However, Stevenson makes no mention of why he chose the protagonist's name. Early History of the Jeckyll familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jeckyll research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1174, 1201, 1273, 1570, 1646, 1653, 1663, 1670, 1680, 1687, 1697, 1698, 1702, 1717 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Jeckyll History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Jeckyll Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Jeckyll include Jeckell, Jeckel, Jekyl, Jekyll, Jeckyll, Jeckyl, Jekylls, Jekel and many more. Early Notables of the Jeckyll familyDistinguished members of the family include Thomas Jekyll (1570-1653), English antiquary, born in the parish of St. Helen, Bishopsgate, London, on 12 Jan. 1570, the eldest son of John Stocker Jekyll of Newington, Middlesex, by Mary, daughter and heiress of Nicholas Barnehouse of Wellington, Somerset. "Availing himself of his access to legal records, Jekyll filled above forty volumes with valuable materials for the histories of Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk (Gough, British Topography, i. 345). A portion of the Jekyll collection was included in the list of manuscripts belonging to John Ouseley, rector of...
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Jeckyll or a variant listed above: Jeckyll Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
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