This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Richard,' from the nick. Hick, which became Higg, and the diminutive Hickin, which became Higgin; compare Diggs and Dix, Wiggins and Wickins, Higginbotham and Hickinbotham, or Slagg and Slack; v. Hick for full history, and Hickin for further evidence. The parent of Higgin, and all its descendants, is indisputably Hickin, the diminutive of Hick, which means that Richard is the ancestor of all. I stated in my English Surnames (1875) that Isaac was the parent, giving my reasons. But I was altogether wrong, and I take this opportunity of apologizing for what at best was only a guess. For a brief time Hickin and Higgin ran alongside, but the lazier Higgin speedily won, and now as a surname Hickin is very rare.

Hekyn de Wath, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Hygyn de Bowland, 1379: ibid.

Alan Hygginson, or Hickynsone, 1552: Register of the University of Oxford.

1580. Married—John Ball, clothworker, and Sisley Higgenson: St. Mary Aldermary.

1588. Leonard Hygeyn, or Higune: Lancashire wills at Richmond.

1677. George Wheeler and Grace Higgons: Marriage Lic. (Canterbury).

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Isaac' A well-known personal name in the surname period, but no more confined to the Jews than Adam or Abel. Hundreds of English people bear one or other of these surnames in whose veins there flows not a single drop of Jewish blood.

Walter Isak, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Johannes Isakson, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Robert fil. Isaac, Lincolnshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Isaac Judxus (the Jew), Yorkshire, ibid.

Johannes Isaak, Norfolk, ibid.

John Ysac, Oxfordshire, ibid.

William Isaak, Close Rolls 23 Henry VI.

1618. John Isick and Ursula Lawes, or Lawson: Marriage Lic. (London).

There is nothing Jewish in the following entry:

1745. Baptised — Thomas, son of Thomas and Barbara Isaac: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1790. Married — Richard Isaacs and Mary Peters: St. George, Hanover Square.

1808. — John Foster and Caroline Isaacson: ibid.

William Higgins was member for Linlithgow in the Scots parliament, 1689 (Hanna, II, p. 498). Most probably from Irish O'hUiginn, descendant of Uige (Woulfe).

From the Hebrew yishaq, "he laugheth,' the name given to the son of Abraham and Sarah from the circumstances of his birth "A well-known personal name in the surname period, but no more confined to the Jews than Adam or Abel. Hundreds of English people bear one or other of these surnames in whose veins there flows not a single drop of Jewish blood" (Bardsley). The name was not uncommon among ecclesiastics in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Isaac was prior of Scone from 1154 till 1162 (Annals, p. 68), and Magister Isaac was a cleric of St. Andrews, 1201 (ibid., p. 334). Ysaac of Brechin was a charter witness there c. 1178—98 (REB., II, 257), and Ysaac de Banevin (Benvie) was one of a jury regarding the Kirketun of Aberbuthenoth, 1205 (SCM., V, p. 210). Isaac, son of Samuel, was one of the witnesses to the gift by Walter, son of Alan, to the monks of Scon, c. 1214 (Scon, p. 91), and Isaac, burgess of Aberbrothoc, witnessed a charter by Matilda, countess of Anegus c. 1242—43 (RAA I, p. 82). Isaac of Scone witnessed a quit-claim of the land of Drumkarauch in 1260 (RPSA., p. 346), and Gillandes Macysac witnessed a charter in favor of the priory of Beauly in 1231 (Beauly, p. 33). 'Sir Thomas Isaac was a witness in Edinburgh in 1358 (Bain, IV, 17), Andrew Isak of Scotland had a safe conduct into England in 1405, John Ysaac had a safe conduct to pass to France in 1447 (ibid., 687, 1203), and Thomas Esok was canon of a church of Argyll in 1448 (HP., II, p. 182). Thomas Esak was messenger-at-arms for Dunbartane in 1569 (RPC., I, p. 659), Jonet Isack was a witch in Kilwinning, 1662 (HP., III, p. 25), and in 1671 a charge of usury was brought against Robert Isack in Kirkcaldy (Just. Rec., II, p. 55). "A certain squire named Thomas Isaac" married Matilda, daughter of King Robert Bruce (Fordun. Annals, clxix). Concerning this singular mesalliance the late eminent genealogist, Mr. Alexander Sinclair, writes:"The name was not so low as it seemed. It was disguised into Ysac, Ysaac, and de Ysaac to make it appear noble This individual not long after had his name borne by gentry bearing the same name with coat armour, in the south of England. In Devonshire there were Isaacs of Buriat, temp. Henry III, who bore Sable, a bend or, on a canton argent a leopard's face gules. In 1460 there was also John Isaac of Bekesbourne, sheriff of Kent, who had the same arms, but the leopard's face or. Probably Thomas, the lucky adventurer was connected with one of these old families" (Herald and genealogist, VI p. 594). Isaac, clericus, was bailie and burgess of Aberdeen in 1332 (ER., I, p. 427). Eizack 1694.

Higgin’s (Son) v. Higgin

(English) The son of little Higg or Hick, pet forms of Richard (rule, hard).

This, as a baptismal name, was introduced about the time of the Conquest. One Isac appears as a chief tenant in Domesd. A few centuries later it was commonly 'nicked' to Hyke, Hicque, &c. Ultimately it gave rise to the various surnames of Isaacs, Isacke, Isaacson, Hike, Hick, Hicks, Hickes, Higgs, Higgins, Higginson, Hickson, Higson, Hixon, Hiscock, Hiscocks, Hiclcox, Hickie, and Hickey.

Little Hig or Hugh; the son of Hugh, from Hig, and the patronymic termination ings; belonging to, or the son of.

(Hebrew.) Laughter.

Isaac is also an old Exeter name still represented in that city. Isacke or Isack was the name of the mayor of Exeter in 1665, and of two chamberlains of the city in 1653 and 1693 (I.) In the reign of Edward I. John Isaak lived in Wiltshire and Walter Isaac in Oxfordshire (H. R.), and the name occurs in Domesday. Devonshire is now the great home of the name, Isaacs being a rare form found in this county, but the name is also represented in Gloucestershire.

The surname Richardson derives from one of the most popular first names in the land. The name Richard was brought to England by the Normans in 1066, and its origins are Germanic. It began life as the name Richard which, in Old German, means ‘powerful-brave’.

Richard was popular right from the start and appears as a first name many times in the Domesday Book, usually Latinised to Ricardus. It was further popularised out of admiration for the valiant efforts of Richard I (known as ‘The Lionheart’). Even the exploits of the next two Richards (especially the notorious hunchbacked Richard III) failed to dim its popularity.

Naturally, Richard soon began to spawn a whole number of diminutives and variations. Dick was one of the first and is still the most common-as is seen in the phrase ‘every Tom, Dick and Harry’. The variation Dick gave rise to the surnames Dickens, Dickenson and Dickson.

Richard, in its standard form, gave rise to the surnames Richard, Richardson and Richards. The surname Richards-‘descendent of, dependent of, Richard’-is most common in Cornwall, South Wales and the Midlands. Richardson, on the other hand, is common all over the country, with the excep­tion of the West Country. The name is most popular in the north.

Other derivatives of the first name Richard (most of which have died out) gave rise to such widespread surnames as Hick, Hitch, Richie, Richey, and Rick (Ricks and Rickson), also Rich (though this is sometimes derived from a nickname), Richett (from the Old French diminutive Richot), and Rickman (which means ‘servant of Richard’). Hud, sometimes a pet name for Richard, is more usually used for Hugh (see Hughes). Hitchmough and Hickmott both mean ‘Richard’s brother-in-law’.

The earliest mention of a form of this name as a surname is in the Hundred Rolls of 1276 for Oxford. There one Thomas Richard is mentioned.

Versatile British physicist and psychologist Lewis Fry Richard­son (1881—1953) first applied mathematical techniques to predict the weather reasonably accurately. He died in Kilmun, Argyllshire, one of the wettest spots on Scotland’s west coast.

I.A. Richards (b. 1893) English literary critic and semantics expert, was co-author of The Meaning of Meaning. Despite the seeming circularity of the title, it is one of the most influential books ever written on the symbolism of language.

Richardson’s Number is the parameter used to predict the occurrence of fluid turbulence.

Richardson and its related names have been held by some of literature’s most lasting figures. Samuel Richardson (1689— 1761) is the founder of the English domestic novel. As a young man he was so proficient as a letter writer that others employed him to compose their correspondence. This led to his first successful book Familiar Letters, a how-to guide to letter composition. Novels, starting with Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, all in epistolatory form, followed and all were vastly popular. Charles Dickens (1812—78) possibly the best­ loved author of all time, drew on his impoverished childhood to write novels that exposed the hypocrisies and evils of Victorian England. All were first published in monthly instalments.

The phrase ‘a Dickensian childhood’ has since entered the language.

In the United Kingdom one place name relates directly to this surname-Richards Castle. Canada has towns called Richard, Richards Landing and Richardson Station while the United States has 6 related-name towns. Geographic namesakes are common and include mountains in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the Richards Deep in the Pacific and Richardsbreen glacier in Norway.

With about 104,000 namesakes Richardson is the 51st most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Richardson is notably popular in and around Teesside where an estimated one in about 245 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford are other Richardson strongholds. Around the world Richards and Richardsons are most common in Canberra (one in 461 families), Wellington (one in 507) and Ottawa (one in 527). The United States tallies Richards and Richardsons together-an estimated combined total of 429,000 makes this their 34th most popular surname.