Show ContentsPicken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Picken family

The surname Picken was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. The name is generally understood to be an occupational name for someone who used a pick or made picks for use in the many agricultural areas of this county and adjacent ones. The name was originally derived from the Middle English work "pik." However, the name could also have been derived from the Norman French personal name "Picon." Further south in England, the name could also have been a local name, derived from locals like Langdale Pikes.

Early History of the Picken family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Picken research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1590, 1621, 1624, 1769, 1816 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Picken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Picken Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pick, Picke, Pickin, Picken, Pickins, Pickens, Pickon, Pickons, Pike and many more.

Early Notables of the Picken family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • Ebenezer Picken (1769-1816) famous Scottish poet

Migration of the Picken family to Ireland

Some of the Picken family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Picken migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Picken Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Picken who arrived with his family in North Carolina in 1774
  • William Picken, aged 32, who landed in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1774 1
Picken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J. Picken who arrived in San Francisco in 1851

Picken migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Picken Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Catherine Picken, aged 83 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Gilmour" departing from the port of Gilmour, Cork but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 2
  • John Picken, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1848
  • Margaret Picken, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1848

Picken migration to Australia +

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

Picken Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Picken, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • Mr. Ebenezer Picken, (b. 1802) aged, 24, Scottish soldier from Edinburgh who was convicted in India for life for murder, transported aboard the "Cawdry" in 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. Enoch Picken, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Mr. Joseph Picken, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. Joseph Picken, (b. 1809), aged 28, Cornish settler convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, UK on 16th October 1837, sentenced for 11 years, transported aboard the ship "Earl Grey" on 8th August 1838 to New South Wales, Australia 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Picken (post 1700) +

  • Mary Brooks Picken (1886-1981), American author of 96 books on needlework, sewing, and textile arts
  • James V. Picken, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Callao-Lima, 1925-26
  • James E. Picken, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1996
  • George F. Picken, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 8th District, 1942
  • Harvey P. Picken, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 11 aerial victories
  • Ebenezer Picken (1769-1816), Scottish minor poet from Paisley, son of a silk weaver
  • Andrew Picken (1815-1845), Scottish draughtsman and lithographer, second of the four sons of Andrew Picken
  • Andrew Picken (1788-1833), Scottish author, grandson of James Picken, a clothier of Paisley
  • Stuart D. B. Picken, Scottish philosopher, academic and cleric, professor of philosophy at International Christian University in Tokyo from 1972-1997
  • James Thomson "J.T." Picken, Scottish-born, Australian businessman, founder of J.T. Picken Ltd Printers which later became Containers Ltd
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. 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)
  2. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 51)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  4. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 13th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cawdry
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
  7. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf


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