Nixon Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Nixon Origin:

England, Ireland, Scotland, Greece

Origins of Name:

The surname of Nixon is of a medieval English original derivative. This surname stems from the patronymic given name of “Nik” or “Nikke” which are shortened forms of Nicholas, derived from the Greek name “Nikolaos.” This Greek name is made up of two components, the first being “nike” which is translated to mean victory, and the second component of “laos” which is translated to mean “the people.” The name Niklaos, and its derivatives are translated to mean “the victory people.” This given name was very popular in Ancient Greece, because the Greeks believed that they were “the victory people.”

Variations:

More common variations are:

Nix, Nixion, Nixoin, Nixxon, Nixoan, Nixona, Nixoni, Nixonw, Nixone, Noxon, Nixen

History:

England:

The first recorded spelling of the surname of Nixon was in the “Records of the Borough of Nottingham,” which noted Robert Nikkesune in the year 1309, under the reign of King Edward II, who was known as “Edward of Caernafon,” and ruled from the year 1307 to the year 1327. In England, the surname of Nixon is popular in Northern England, specifically in Cumberland, where those with this surname have lived for centuries. However, the surname has spread across the country, and those with the surname of Nixon are prominent in the areas of Yorkshire, Northumberland, Staffordshire, and Lancashire.

Scotland:

Throughout Scotland, those who carry the surname of Nixon are spread all around the country. Many of those who bear the surname of Nixon are most prominent in the areas of Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, and Angus.

The name was a common surname on both sides of the Border. Popular instances of the surname occurred in Bewcastle in Cumberland.

In 1376, a William Nycson lived in the Ermyldoune district in Liddesdale.

United States and Canada:

The European Migration, which began in the 17th century was the emigration of European citizens who were looking for religious freedom, better living conditions, work, and a better life. The United States of America, which had become recently inhabited and settled, was a common area for these settlers to seek out their new life. Those settlers who made it to the New World, and were recorded to bear the surname of Nixon settled prominently in the areas of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia and New York, and moved westward into Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. During the 17th Century, only one man bearing the surname of Nixon was recorded as landing in the United States. This low number could be due to the living conditions on the boats which carried these settlers to their new home—which were cramped and ridden with disease by the time they landed in America. Thomas Nixon, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the year 1685 was the first settler to bear the surname of Nixon in the New World. In the late 18th Century, Mr. Allan Nixon U.E. was the first person with the recorded surname of Nixon to land in Canada in the year 1784.

Australia and New Zealand:

The first recorded settler in Australia to bear the surname of Nixon was Robert Nixon, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia, between the years of 1825 and 1832. The first recorded Nixon surname in the country of New Zealand belonged to the Nixon family including John Nixon and Eliza Julia Nixon, who both landed in the town of Wellington, New Zealand after sailing aboard the ship named the “London” in the year 1840.

Nixon Today:

United States 42,108

England 12,981

Haiti 5,373

Canada 5,359

Australia 5,195

Kenya 4,630

Uganda 2,987

South Africa 2,520

New Zealand 1,228

Northern Ireland 1,073

Notable People:

President Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) who was the 37th President of the United States of America from the years 1969 to 1974, resigned from office due to the Watergate Scandal

David Nixon (born in 1936) who was a linebacker in the NFL

Marian Nixon (1904-1983) who was a film actress from America, born with the name Marian Nissinen

Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born in 1966) who is a two-time Emmy Award, Tony Award, and Grammy Award winning actress, who portrayed Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series Sex and the City which aired from the year 1998 to 2004

John Nixon (1724-1815) who was a Brigadier-General in the Continental Army throughout the American Revolutionary War

Otis Junior Nixon Jr. (born in 1959) who was a retired MLB center fielder and switch-hitter

Lewis Nixon (1861-1940) who was a naval architect from America

Jeremiah Wilson “Jay” Nixon (born in 1956) who was the 55th Governor of the State of Missouri, and an American politician

Christopher Troutman Nixon (born 1974) who was an MLB right fielder

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Blechingdon, co. Oxford). Or, on a chev. betw. three leopards’ faces gu. as many suns in splendour ppr. Crest—A leopard ramp. guard. ppr.
2) (co. Fermanagh; confirmed to Brinsley de Courcy Nixon, Esq., and the descendants of his grandfather, Rev. Brinsley Nixon, rector of Painstown, co. Meath). Motto—Toujours prêt. Sa. five bezants, two, two, and one, on a chief engr. ar. a battle axe in fess of the field. Crest—A gamecock ppr. charged ou the breast with a bezant.
3) Sa. six plates and a chief ar. Crest—A dexter hand holding a sword ppr.; another, Ar. on a cross patonce gu. five escallops or.