The History of the Hickey Surname
"The Ancient Irish culture has produced many distinguished family names which are native to the Emerald Isle and not the least of which is Hickey. The world-wide influence of the Irish in the arts, theater, industry, commerce, literature, and the sciences, is totally disproportionate to the population size of that tiny island which averages only about 5 million people.
Historical analysts have researched records using such authors as O'Hart, Woulfe, McLysaght, O'Brien, and the Four Masters, and public records, charters and ancient land grants. Despite the loss of records caused by fire in the Dublin Public Records Office in 1922 which was an irreparable disaster to Irish history, sufficient evidence is still available to produce a thumbnail of the Hickey history.
Researchers found that the family name, Hickey, was first revealed in County Clare, where they had been seated from very ancient times.
The name Hickey appeared in many references, and from time to time the surname was recorded as Hickey, Hickie, O'Hickey, O'Hickie, Hicky, and these changes in spelling frequently occurred, even between father and son. Preference for different spelling variations usually arose from a division of the family, or for religious reasons, or sometimes for patriotic reasons. Church officials and scribes spelled the name phonetically, sometimes translated from Gaelic, sometimes in several different ways in the lifetime of the person. The abbreviations of Mc in front of the name, meaning "son of" is popular in Irish names, although this is no guarantee the name is Irish. The Scottish used Mc as well as Mac. The prefix "O" is almost always Irish.
Traditionally, the ancient kings of Ireland were descended from King Milesius of Spain, the grandson of Breoghan (Brian), King of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile and Portugal. Milesius, a great general/king, was instrumental in defending Egypt from the King of Ethiopia. Milesius turned his attention northward to Ireland to fulfill and ancient Druidic prophecy. He sent an army to explore this fertile land. On finding that his son had been murdered by the three resident Irish Kings (the Danans), Milesius gathered another army to take his revenge on the Irish. He died before he embarked on the trip. His remaining eight sons conquered Ireland.
Heremon, eldest son of Milesius, reigned in Ireland for fourteen years, along with his brothers Heber, Ir, and Ithe. They named the land Scota or Scotia, their mother's name, the land of the Scots. This name would later be taken by the Irish King Colla in 357 when he was exiled to Scotland, leaving the name 'Ir-land', land of Ir, youngest of the four sons of Milesius, to the Emerald Isle. The four Irish kingdoms eventually broke into five separate nations under the high king, or Ard Righ. These royal lines would later produce such great kings as the fourth century king Niall of the Nine Hostages who died in France while cutting off the retreat of the Romans from Britain, and king Brian Boru who died in the battle of Clontarf in 1015, finally expelling the Vikings from Dublin and Ireland.
The great Gaelic family Hickey emerged in later years in County Clare. The Hickeys anciently descended from King Brian Boru who died in Clontarf in 1410, were physicians to their sister Clann, the O'Brien's, and were kinsmen of the McNamara's and the O'Kennedy's. They branched into Northern Tipperary and to Limerick by the 13th and 14th centuries, and were noted more as a scholarly group rather than the ancient warriors of Munster. Soon after the Cromwellian invasion they branched to England and acquired estates at Billing in the county of North Hampton. Their more recent family seat was at Kilelton. Notable amongst the family at this time was John and Thomas Hickey, famous as Irish sculptor and portrait painter.
Invasions by Strongbow in 1172, Cromwell in the 17th century and the devastation of the great potato famine in 1845, cause continued widespread misery and the exodus from Ireland began, first a trickle, then a flood. 50 years after the famine (the last straw), the population was reduced to less than half.
Irish clansman joined the armada of sailing ships which sailed from Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Holehead, Liverpool, and Glasgow, many bound for the new world, some for Australia. Some called these ships White Sails, others, more realistically, called them the "Coffin Ships", when 30% - 40% of the passengers died of cholera, smallpox, and the elements.
In North America some of the first migrants which could be considered kinsman of this sept Hickey of that same family included James Hickey who settled in Boston in 1768; Catherine Hickey who settled in Pennsylvania in 1772; Daniel, Denis, Edward, James, John, Lawrence, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Hickey who arrived in Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1855. In Newfoundland, William Hickey settled in Saint Johns in 1755; Michael in Chapels Cove in 1782; Thomas in Harbour Maine in 1783; John in Harbour Grace in 1786; they also settled at Maglass, Bay Bulls, Tickle Harbour, Catalina, Bona Vista, and Kings Cove.
In the new world the Irish played an important part in building the nation, the railroads, coalmines, bridges and canals. They lent their culture to the arts, sciences, commerce, religion and the professions. Some moved westward with the wagon trains, and settled the Midwest trekking as far as the west coast.
During the war of independence, some were loyal to the cause, others, were loyal to the crown, and moved north into Canada, becoming known as United Empire Loyalists and being granted lands on the bank of the Saint Lawrence and the Niagara Peninsula. During the American civil war many Irish formed the Irish Brigades in the great struggle, Union versus South.
Meanwhile, the family name Hickey produced many prominent people, including John Hickie, Australian Cardiologist."
Research has determined the coat of arms included on this web site, to be the most ancient recorded for the family surname Hickey.
Certification Number 943323-12.06-9586
The Hall of Names, Incorporated
