Hicks
A surname that usually began as a nickname for Isaac, via the short form Hick.
The #170 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,950 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hicks is generally understood as a surname formed from Hick, a medieval pet form of Isaac. In older English records, Isaac could be shortened in several ways, including Hick, Hicke, or Hicque, and Hicks developed as a later surname from that nickname. Some writers also mention a possible locational connection to Hick in Gloucestershire, but this is usually treated as unlikely compared with the nickname origin.
History
The name is well established in England and appears in many spelling forms, including Hickes, Higgs, Higgin, Hickson, Hixon, and related surnames. It spread widely enough to become common in modern English-speaking countries, especially in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Historical sources sometimes tie it to the Christian name Isaac rather than to a place name, and that remains the standard explanation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley and Lower both connect Hicks with the old nickname Hick, showing how a very short medieval pet name could generate a whole family of surnames.
From the historical record
“Hick, Hyke, or Isaac. HICKS. The village so called in Glou- cestershire can hardly have been the source of this numerous surname, which is generally derived, doubtless, from Hicque, or Hick, a nick-name of Isaac. HICKSON. See Isaac. HIDE. A feudal portion of land of un- certain extent, according to its quality. A…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Hicks
- John Hicks (1904–1989)
- Bill Hicks (1961–1994)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.