Find out how popular the last name Wickens is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wickens.

Wickens, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wickens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wickens in America

Wickens is the 33164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wickens surname appeared 690 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wickens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wickens to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wickens

The surname Wickens finds its origins in England, specifically during the medieval period. It is a toponymic surname derived from various locations named Wick, Wyke, or Wicken across England. The name Wickens typically signifies 'of Wick,' with 'wick' being an Old English word meaning a settlement, village, or dairy farm, derived from the Latin 'vicus.' Another variant is derived from the Old Norse word ‘vik,’ meaning a creek or bay, which further underscores the name's association with geographical features.

Documented instances of the Wickens surname can be traced back to the early medieval period. While the name Wickens itself does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, places called Wick, Wicken, and Wyke are well-recorded, indicating the likely habitation of families who would later adopt the surname, including Wickens, based on these settlements. The earliest confirmed reference to the surname Wickens can be found in 1296 in the Sussex Subsidy Rolls, where one Johannes de Wickens is recorded. This mention signifies the presence of the surname in southern England, particularly Sussex.

Several noteworthy individuals have carried the Wickens surname throughout history. One such individual is Robert Wickens, born in 1835 and a notable figure in the late 19th century as a pioneering industrialist during the British Industrial Revolution. Edward Wickens, born in 1562, was an early scholar who contributed to the Elizabethan era's intellectual landscape. Another prominent bearer of the surname is George Wickens, a soldier in the British Army who served valiantly during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.

In the late 17th century, Elizabeth Wickens, born in 1679, became well-regarded for her work in botanical studies in England, reflecting the broader scholarly inclinations of some bearing the Wickens name. Additionally, during the Victorian era, Joseph Wickens, born in 1821, gained prominence as a philanthropist, contributing significantly to various charitable causes, including the establishment of schools and hospitals in London.

The surname Wickens has endured through centuries, with its etymological roots deeply embedded in the geographical and agricultural lexicon of medieval England. While variations and mutations of 'Wick' or 'Wicken' have occurred over time, the name Wickens remains a testament to the enduring legacy of these early English settlements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wickens

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wickens.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wickens was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wickens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wickens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wickens, please contact us.

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