This is an unusual English surname. It demonstrates the charm and variety of surnames and has nothing whatsoever to do with either hedges or cockerells in any literal sense. Deriving as Hick and Hitch from the early personal names Richard or Ricard, according to various learned dictionaries of surnames, this name in its varied forms as shown below, came about because of the inability of the Anglo-Saxons to pronounce the letter 'r'. This is possible, but seems at best inconsistent, as many popular surnames commencing with an R, do date from this time. What is certainly true is that a popular pastime of the medieval period, was the creation of what were nicknames from original 'standard' names, and these in time became surnames. It is said that Richard was the most popular name of the early medieval period, and from this developed patronymics with the "cocc" ending, and meaning son of. These include Hitchcock, Hiscot, Hickok, Hiscock and Hedgecock, all of whom translate as 'the son of Richard'. The surname development includes Abraham Hekkox of Cornhill, in the city of London in 1641, whilst John Hedgecocke married Margaret Bristow at Crowhurst in Surrey on January 2nd 1658, during the 'reign' of Oliver Cromwell. (1649 - 1658). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Hichecokes. This was dated 1327, the Pipe Rolls of County Worcestershire, during the reign of King Edward III, 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.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2024