Whicker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Whicker is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Whicker family lived in Sussex. The name, however, derives from the Old English word wic, which describes someone who lives at an outlying settlement.

Early Origins of the Whicker family

The surname Whicker was first found in Surrey at Wyke, a tything, in the parish of Worplesdon, union of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Woking. "This place is mentioned in Domesday Book under the name of Wucha, and at an early period was held by a family called De Wyke." 1

Another branch of the family was found at Yatton in Somerset. "The greater portion of [the church of Yatton] appears to have been rebuilt in the 15th century, by the Wyck family, to one of whom is a monument bearing his effigy, in the north transept." 1

Thomas de Wykes (fl. 1258-1293), the English chronicler, took the habit of a canon regular at Osney Abbey, near Oxford, on 14 April 1282. "He mentions in his chronicle various namesakes and probable kinsfolk, including Robert de Wykes (d. 1246), Edith de Wyke (d. 1269), and John de Wykes, who in 1283 took a 'votum profectionis'. The name is a fairly common one, both as a personal and a place name, so that it is highly unsafe to identify him with other bearers of the same name, such as Thomas de Wyke, priest, who before 1249 wished to become a Franciscan friar." 2

The Wicker or Whicker variant dates back to the Assize Rolls of 1225 for Somerset where Walter le Wykere was listed as holding lands there at that time. This variant takes its name from the Old English word "wich," which denoted a "dweller or worker at the dairy farm." 3

Early History of the Whicker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whicker research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1222, 1293, 1430, 1554, 1593, 1621, 1627, 1628, 1632, 1641, 1643, 1683, 1684, 1699, 1703 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Whicker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whicker Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weekes, Weeks, Wikes, Wykes, Wyke, Wix, Wicks, Weykes and many more.

Early Notables of the Whicker family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Wykes (1222-c.1293), English chronicler, a canon regular of Oseney Abbey, near Oxford; Thomas Wykes (died c.1430), Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire; Thomas Wykes (fl. 1554), of Moreton Jeffries, Herefordshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Leominster in November 1554; Richard Wyche (or Wiche) (1554-1621), a...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whicker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whicker Ranking

In the United States, the name Whicker is the 13,880^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Whicker migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whicker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ernest Whicker, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 5

Whicker migration to Australia +

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

Whicker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Whicker, aged 44, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Whicker (post 1700) +

Joseph H. Whicker Sr., American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from North Carolina 8th District, 1946 7
Alan Donald Whicker CBE (1925-2013), Cairo-born, English broadcaster and journalist, best known for his documentary television programme Whicker's World which ran for 29 years

The Whicker 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: Cari Deo nihilo carent
Motto Translation: Those dear to God want nothing.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Pestonjee Bomanjee 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html