PICKERING
Pickering is an English locational surname, arising from the town of Pickering in the North-County of Yorkshire, England. It is traditionally linked to Christian communities within the British Isles.
The derivation of the name is found in Old English terminology. The element pic is interpreted as “point” or “sharp”, while ering denotes a group or tribe. Combined, the name can be understood as “the people of the sharp point” or “the tribe associated with the pointed hill” that characterises the town’s geography.
Early documentary evidence, including the Domesday Book of 1086 where the placename is recorded as Picheringa, shows a long lineage. Subsequent spellings in medieval records varied, with forms such as Pikering, Pickerin, Pickring, Pickrin, Puckering, Puckrin and Puckring. These variants preserve the same etymological root and are often grouped within the same family line.
The name entered surname usage in the mid-12th century, with early examples including Reginald de Pichering of 1165, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. This period coincided with the reign of King Henry XI, noted for church construction. The town itself was subject to early Enclosure Acts, which dispossessed many commoners and forced migration from the common lands, thereby dispersing the Pickering name beyond its original locality.
Additional historic entries document individuals bearing the surname across England. Henry de Pikeringes appears in the 1246 Feet of Fines of Oxfordshire, and John Pykeryng in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of Somerset. These records demonstrate the geographic spread of families originating from Pickering over subsequent centuries.
Church registers offer further insight. The christening of Anne, daughter of William Pikering, is recorded on 4 March 1551 in Aberford, Yorkshire. Marriage records include that of Richard Pickering and Anne Swynerton on 10 February 1562 at St. Andrew by the Wardrobe in London. Such entries confirm the name’s sustained presence within ecclesiastical documentation during the Tudor era.
A heraldic badge associates with a Pickering line: a silver and red chequy field with a black bend. This description, documented in the 16th century, reflects the conventional heraldic practice of the time and provides a visual identifier for families bearing the name.
In contemporary times, the surname Pickering remains in use within the United Kingdom, particularly in Yorkshire and surrounding regions. It continues to be recognised as a locational surname with a deep-reserved historical foundation anchored in Old English etymology and medieval documentary sources.
Typical given names associated with the Pickering surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Joanne
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Pickering in...
Braille
⠏⠊⠉⠅⠑⠗⠊⠝⠛
Morse
.--...-.-.-.-..-...-.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 19,184 people named Pickering in the UK. That makes it the 450th most common surname in Britain. Around 295 in a million people in Britain are named Pickering.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Pickering
- Marc Pickering - Actor
- Mike Pickering - Musician
- Donald Pickering - Actor (1933 to 2009)
- Ron Pickering - Athlete (1930 to 1991)
- Karen Pickering - Swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion, former world record-holder
- Fred Pickering - England international football player (1941 to 2019)
- Craig Pickering - Athletics competitor
- Nick Pickering - Football player
- David Pickering - Welsh rugby union player
- Shaun Pickering - Athletics competitor
- Pollyanna Pickering - Artist (1942 to 2018)
- Ally Pickering - Football player
- John Frederick Pickering - (1939 to 2018)
- Harry Pickering - Football player
- Mick Pickering - Football player
- Paul Pickering - Novelist and playwright
- John Pickering - Football player (1944 to 2001)
- Emil Pickering - Member of Parliament (1882 to 1942)
- William Pickering - Governor of Washington territory (1798 to 1873)
- Esham Pickering - Boxer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.