Contents [hide]

Rickards History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Rickards History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland
Scotland

The name Rickards was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old German name "Ricard," meaning "powerful" and "brave." 1

Early Origins of the Rickards family

The surname Rickards was first found in Cheshire in 1067 where they were descended from Hugh d'Avranche, Earl Lupus of Chester. His descendant, William Belwood, Lord of Malpas in Cheshire, had two sons, David and Richard. Richard's grandson John was the first to bear the name Richardson.

Years later the Yorkshire Poll Tax records revealed William Richardson in 1381 and further north in Scotland, Thome filius Ricardi held a charter of the barony of Symundestone in Lanark c. 1315-1321. A few years later, Laurence filius Ricardi was a tenant of the Earl of Douglas in Louchurde in 1376. Murdac Richardesson, a Scottish merchant complained the English had sunk his vessel during a truce in 1359. 2

Rickards is "essentially a north of England name, extending across the border into Dumfriesshire, and also, but to a less extent, characteristic of most of the east coast counties as far south as Kent and Sussex. The counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, Northumberland, and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire contain the greatest number of the name." 3

Early History of the Rickards family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rickards research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1572, 1576, 1580, 1594, 1600, 1603, 1606, 1618, 1624, 1625, 1627, 1628, 1635, 1642, 1651, 1654, 1660, 1664, 1667, 1674, 1679, 1682, 1686, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1693, 1698, 1714, 1715, 1737, 1747, 1753, 1755, 1761, 1820 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rickards History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rickards Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Richardson, Richerson, Richarson and others.

Early Notables of the Rickards family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Dame Elizabeth Richardson, 1st Lady Cramond (1576-1651), English writer whose peerage was created for her in 1628; Sir Thomas Richardson (1569-1635), Chief Justice of the King's Bench; Thomas Richardson, 2nd Lord Cramond (1627-1674), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1674. Christopher Richardson (1618-1698), was an English nonconformist divine who appears to have been born at Sheriff Hutton, Yorkshire. Gabriel Richardson (died 1642), was...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rickards Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rickards Ranking

In the United States, the name Rickards is the 15,688^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Rickards family to Ireland

Some of the Rickards family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rickards migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rickards Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Rickards, aged 37, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1864

Rickards migration to Australia +

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

Rickards Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Rickards, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. George Rickards, (b. 1817), aged 32, Cornish carpenter from St. Stephens, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Royal George" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 28th November 1849 6
Mrs. Patty Rickards, (b. 1826), aged 23, Cornish settler from St. Stephens, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Royal George" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 28th November 1849 6
Miss Mary Amanda Rickards, (b. 1846), aged 3, Cornish settler from St. Stephens, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Royal George" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 28th November 1849 6
Miss Sissy Rickards, (b. 1849), aged Infant, Cornish settler born aboard the ship "Royal George" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 28th November 1849 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rickards (post 1700) +

John Ezra Rickards (1848-1927), American Republican politician, 2nd Governor of Montana (1893-1897), 1st Lieutenant Governor of Montana (1889-1893) 7
Ashley Nicole Rickards (b. 1992), American actress, known for her role as Jenna Hamilton in the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward
Samuel Rickards (1796-1865), English Church of England clergyman, opponent of the Oxford Movement, son of Thomas Rickards of Leicester
Sir George Kettilby Rickards (1812-1889), English political economist, born in London, the eldest son of George Rickards of Ripley, Surrey
Scott Rickards (b. 1981), English professional footballer
Emily Bett Rickards (b. 1991), Canadian Leo Award nominated actress, known for her roles in Arrow (2012), Dakota's Summer (2014) and Flicka: Country Pride (2012)
Tudor Rickards PhD (b. 1941), Welsh author on creativity and leadership in business and management
Kenneth Roy Rickards (1923-1995), West Indian cricketer
John Witherston Rickards (1844-1921), South African Anglican priest
John Rickards (b. 1978), British crime writer
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Rickards Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtute acquiritur honos
Motto Translation: Honour is aquired by virtue.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, May 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html