Hickson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Hick,” with Hick being a medieval pet form of Richard or, in some sources, Isaac.
The #6,111 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,035 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hickson is a patronymic surname built from Hick plus the suffix -son, meaning “son of Hick.” In medieval English usage, Hick was a familiar pet form of Richard; some older sources also connect Hick with Isaac, so the surname can appear with slightly different explanations in historical dictionaries. The name therefore most often means “son of Richard” in origin, though not every early record was interpreted the same way.
History
Historical dictionaries note Hickson as one of several surnames formed from the popular medieval nickname Hick, alongside Hicks and Hixon. The surname is recorded in England by the late 14th century, including forms such as Hickson and Hykson in Yorkshire records. It later spread through Britain and into the English-speaking world in the usual way for hereditary surnames.
Origin
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Fun fact
Bardsley grouped Hickson with a whole family of surnames from the nickname Hick, showing how one short medieval pet form generated a surprisingly large number of modern surnames.
From the historical record
“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 hide appears generally to have been so much land as "with its house and toft, right of common, and other appurtenances, was considered to be sufficient for the ne- cessities of a…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom