Nickens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Nickens

What does the name Nickens mean?

Nickens is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Knighton, which had three locations. The first West Knighton, a parish in the county of Dorset; the second, a chapelry in the parish of Lindridge in the county of Worcester; and thirdly, a chapelry in the parish of St. Margaret's, Leicestershire.

Early Origins of the Nickens family

The surname Nickens was first found in Worcestershire at Knighton-upon-Teame, a chapelry in the parish of Lindridge. West Knighton, is a parish in Dorset, four miles from Dorchester and Knighton is a chapelry in the parish of St. Margaret, Leicester.

The Domesday Book of 1086 lists Cnihtetone, (Lecistershire) and Chitestone (Staffordshire.) 1

The first record of the family was Henry Knighton (Cnitthon) (fl. 1363) the English historical compiler and canon of St. Mary's Abbey, Leicester. His name, Henricus Cnitthon is found in three books of the time. 2

In early rolls, a wide variety of spellings were found: Alexander de Cnichteton in the Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire; Ralph de Knichton in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1222; and Hugh de Knyghton in the Subsidy Rolls for Leicestershire, to name a few. 3

In Yorkshire, Thomas de Knyghton was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

And in early records from Scotland, "Nicol de Knyghton del counte de Edinburgh rendered homage, 1296 [to King Edward I of England]." 5

Early History of the Nickens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nickens research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1170 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Nickens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nickens Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Nickens family name include Knighton, Nicken, Nighten and others.

Early Notables of the Nickens family

More information is included under the topic Early Nickens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nickens Ranking

the United States, the name Nickens is the 7,810^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Nickens family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Nickens surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Knighton settled in Virginia in 1643; Joseph Knighton arrived in Philadelphia in 1813.

Contemporary Notables of the name Nickens (post 1700) +

Casey Nickens, American child actor
Daryl G. Nickens (1949-2006), American Daytime Emmy Award nominated and Writers Guild of America winning writer
Gary Nickens, American actor, known for Bad Boys II (2003), The Island (2005) and One More Round (2005)
Paula Nickens, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from District of Columbia, 1996 7

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lee, Sir Stanley, Dictionary of National Biography. London: The MacMillan Company 1909. 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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html