Thickness History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Thickness

What does the name Thickness mean?

Thickness is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Thickness family when they emigrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Thickness comes from the ancient Norman French given name Xhignesse.

Early Origins of the Thickness family

The surname Thickness was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times at Balterley after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were descended from the French Norman Xhignesse, and were granted the lands by King William after the Norman Conquest.

Early History of the Thickness family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thickness research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1274 is included under the topic Early Thickness History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thickness Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Thickness were recorded, including Thickness, Thicknesse and others.

Early Notables of the Thickness family

Robert Thicknesse, Lord of Bartley

Thickness migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Thickness arrived in North America very early:

Thickness Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Phillip Thickness, who settled in Georgia in 1736