Show ContentsBickel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Bickel

What does the name Bickel mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Bickel comes from when the family resided in the town of Bickleigh in the county of Devon. This place-name is derived from the Anglo Saxon personal name Bicca meaning pickaxe, and the Old English word leigh, meaning wooded area.

Early Origins of the Bickel family

The surname Bickel was first found in Devon, at Bickleigh, a parish, in the union of Tiverton, hundred of Hayridge, 4 miles from Tiverton. 1 Bickleigh is also a parish, in the union of Plympton St. Mary, hundred of Roborough in Devon. 2

Bickley is a township, in the parish of Malpas, union of Nantwich, Higher division of the hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester. 3

Early History of the Bickel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bickel research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1415, 1426, 1518, 1529, 1569, 1582, 1585, 1586, 1596, 1623, 1644, 1661, 1667, 1670, 1681, 1687, 1746 and 1754 are included under the topic Early Bickel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bickel Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bickel include Bickley, Bickle, Bickler, Bickleigh, Bigley, Bigly, Biglay and many more.

Early Notables of the Bickel family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Bickley, Member of the Parliament for Huntingdon in 1415 and 1426; John Bickley, Member of the Parliament for Stafford in 1529; Sir Francis Bickley, 1st Baronet (c. 1582-1670); Sir Francis Bickley, 2nd Baronet (c. 1623-1681); Sir Francis Bickley, 3rd Baronet (1644-1687); and Sir Francis Bickley, 4th...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bickel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bickel Ranking

In the United States, the name Bickel is the 5,591st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4


Bickel migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Bickel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Michel Bickel, who arrived in New York in 1709 5
Bickel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joh Gerh Bickel, who landed in America in 1831 5
  • Paul Bickel, who arrived in America in 1832 5
  • John Stephan Bickel, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 5
  • Geo L Bickel, aged 26, who arrived in Missouri in 1845 5
  • Gottfried Bickel, who landed in Texas in 1845 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bickel (post 1700) +

  • Frederick Bickel (1897-1975), birth name of Fredric March, American stage and film actor, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor (1932) for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydeand The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
  • Charles A. Bickel (1852-1921), American architect
  • Moidele Bickel (1937-2016), German Academy Award nominated costume designer, best known for her work in the film Queen Margot (1994)
  • Thomas Bickel (b. 1963), retired Swiss football midfielder

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Kenneth Robert Bickel, American Fireman First Class from Nebraska, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 6


Suggested Readings for the name Bickel +

  • The Sheneman-Faust-Bickel-Machling Genealogy by Allen D. Sheneman.

  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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