This most interesting surname is one of the patronymic forms of the male given name Hodge. In this case the name is composed of "Hogge", from Hodge, which is a pet form of Roger, plus the diminutive suffix "-kin". Roger itself derives from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hrod", renown, and "geri", "gari", spear, which was introduced into England in the form "Rog(i)er", by the Normans. Some other patronymic surnames from this source include Hodgkin, Hodgkiess, Hodgskin, Hochkins and Hadgkiss. The surname itself was first recorded in the early 14th Century (see below). One John Hogekyn was recorded in 1453 in "A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds" (Pembroke), and Richard Hoggekynes was mentioned in the same source in Norfolk in 1445. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk record Robert Hodgekin in 1524. Susanna Hotchkiss married Henry Cole on June 30th 1686 in London. A Coat of Arms was granted to a family of the name who resided at Hoxwood in Shropshire, which depicts a shield divided vertically into blue and red and an engraved gold chevron between three silver rampant lions. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Hochekyn, which was dated 1327, in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, during the reign of King Edward 111, known as "The Father of the Navy", 1327-1377. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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