Surname Wickware - Meaning and Origin
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Wickware: What does the surname Wickware mean?
The last name Wickware is of English origins and is a topographic name for someone who lived near a bend in a river. The name derives from the Old English term "wic", meaning "bend" or "meander". The "ware" portion of the name indicates someone who lived there, thus Wickware can be roughly translated to "dweller at the bend in the river".
The name is one that is quite rare, with its earliest records found in Norfolk, England. Its first recorded use as a surname dates back to the 16th century when one Henry Wickwere was mentioned in a document written in 1570. There were other early mentions of the name, including a William Wickwere in 1587 and an Elizabeth Wickwere in 1591, all in Norfolk.
Unsurprisingly, Wickware is still more commonly found in Norfolk and the surrounding English counties. Since 1600, it has spread to other countries, primarily the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Today, the Wickware surname may be used to denote the descendants of those early English settlers, or simply those with a love of the English countryside. It can refer to those who lived at the bend of a river as well as those with an affinity for unusual English surnames.
Order DNA origin analysisWickware: Where does the name Wickware come from?
The last name Wickware is most common in the US today. According to the US Census Bureau 2017 American Community Survey, the last name Wickware is most prevalent in the state of Minnesota, with 266 individuals living there bearing the surname. Following Minnesota are the states of Louisiana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado, with smaller populations.
Minnesota is the state with the greatest concentration of individuals bearing the Wickware name. Residing primarily in the Minneapolis city region, larger population numbers born to the Wickware name may be explained by the state’s historic Scandinavian influx during the 1800s. During this time, many Scandinavian families, bearing the Wickware name, found new homes in the Northern states.
The Wickware name does not enjoy the same levels of widespread popularity as other surnames within the US. However, there are still pockets of Wickware families throughout the country. Those bearing the Wickware name may obtain information regarding their ancestry, by accessing databases such as the US Census Bureau, FamilySearch, or by researching family trees in additional online resources.
Variations of the surname Wickware
The surname Wickware is derived from the Old English word "wicga," meaning 'dweller by the marsh.' The surname is most commonly spelled as Wickware, however, other variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin include Wickwaire, Wicwater, Wickwater, Wyckwaire, Wickwaire, Wyckwaer, Wykewarter, and Wickwarter.
The most common variant of the Wickware surname is Wickwaters, which originated in the North East Midlands county of Derbyshire. The form Wicwater is also a popular variation, as are Wickwaire and Wyckwaire. These spellings are mainly found in the North West Midlands counties of Shropshire and Worcestershire.
The spelling Wyckwaer is found predominately in the West Midlands, primarily in Wiltshire. Wickwarter, and its variants, are of more widespread occurrence across Britain, mostly in Lancashire, Cheshire, and the Welsh borders.
Although the Wickware surname is fairly uncommon, it is especially strong in the North East Midlands county of Derbyshire, as well as South Wales and the Welsh borders. It is believed to be derived from a nickname given to a person from the marshy land known as 'wick.' The Wickware surname also has spawned a few related surnames such as Wykewater, WickwVoice, and Wickward. Each of these surnames r trace their origins to the same old English word, but the spelling has changed over the centuries.
Famous people with the name Wickware
- Benjamin Wickware: an American architect from Kentucky.
- Ed Wickware: a Canadian professional hockey player who won the Stanley Cup in 1965.
- John Wickware: an American minor league baseball pitcher from Illinois.
- Richard Wickware: an English author who wrote on the subjects of Africa and Indian philosophy.
- Thomas Wickware: an American painter who was part of the Hudson River School of Landscape Painters.
- Nixon Wickware: a Jamaican-Canadian mixed media artist and curator.
- Leonard Wickware: a Canadian professional hockey player.
- Leonard Washington Wickware III: an American music composer and producer.
- Stephen Wickware: an American professional motocross racer from Kansas.
- Harry R. Wickware: an American politician and newspaper editor from Ohio.
- Jerry Wickware: an American professional wrestler from California.
- Robert J. Wickware: an American economist and policy analyst.
- Howard Wickware: a Canadian professional hockey player.
- Johnathan Wickware: a Jamaican professional football player.
- Philip Wickware: a British retired professional table tennis player.
- Perry Wickware: an American physicist and professor at the University of Maryland.