Kickham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The origins of the Kickham name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Kirham. Kickham is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Kickham family

The surname Kickham was first found in Lancashire at Kirkham, a market-town and parish, in the union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness. Dating back to Saxon times, the parish took its name from its church. 1 There is another Kirkham in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The first record of the family was Simon de Kirkeham who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. 2 Later, Walter de Kirkham (died 1260) was an English divine, Bishop of Durham. He was of humble parentage, but became one of the royal clerks. He is first listed in records from 1225 when he was chaplain of Eastrington, Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Adam de Kirkham; Agnes de Kyrkham; and Johannes Kvrkam. 3 Despite the name having the Scottish word "kirk" meaning "church" as its root, it was "probably a recent incomer from England to Scotland." 4 Alexander Kircum was listed in parish of Birsay, Scotland in 1640.

Early History of the Kickham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kickham research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1507, 1523, 1525, 1575 and 1582 are included under the topic Early Kickham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kickham Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Kickham were recorded, including Kirkham, Kirkam and others.

Early Notables of the Kickham family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kickham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kickham family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Kickham family emigrate to North America: Edward Kirkham who settled in Maryland in 1774; John Kirkham arrived in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1858; Watson Kirkham arrived in Philadelphia in 1833.

Contemporary Notables of the name Kickham (post 1700) +

Michael Joseph "Mike" Kickham (b. 1988), American Major League Baseball pitcher
M. J. Kickham, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1944 5
Thomas Joseph Kickham (1901-1974), Canadian farmer, trader and politician from Souris West, Prince Edward Island, who represented 1st Kings in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1943 to 1949
John Kickham (1847-1917), Canadian farmer, blacksmith and politician from North River, Prince Edward Island who represented 1st Kings in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1897 to 1908
Charles Joseph Kickham (1828-1882), Irish revolutionary, novelist, poet and journalist from Mullinahone, County Tipperary, founding member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, eponym of numerous Kickhams GAA Clubs

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html