Strickland Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Strickland Surname Name Meaning, Origin, History, & Etymology
This popular last name has several meanings or origin theories. The first theory, as proffered by the nineteenth century poet/historical writer Agnes Strickland, is that during the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 AD, a Knight of this family was of the first fleet to reach the shore and struck his sword into the sand of the beach, thus earning the name “Strike land”, but this may be more of a legend or myth as opposed to historical. The second origin story is that this is a locational or habitational last name derived from a place called Stercaland, of Norse Origins, located in county Westmorland, and denoting people who lived in or came from such as place. One author notes there were places called Great and Little Strickland in the parish of Morland, as well as Strickland Kettle and Strickland Roger in the parish of Kendal, England. One author, Mark Anthony Lower, in his book, Patronymica Britannica, states the name of the locale derives from the pasture ground inhabited by young cattle or cows called streers or striks, deriving from the Old English words styric or steorc, meaning bullock. The earliest recorded ancestor of this family was Eustace De Vaux who was born in Normandy, France around 975 AD. The progenitor of the family in England was Walter Stickland who was born around 1151 AD. Some branches of the Strickland family tree were present in Wintringham in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Samuel Lewis, in his book, A Topographic Dictionary of England, published in 1848, states the following: “This parish is situated on the river Derwent, and comprises 8,380 acres, of which 5740 are in the township, and, with the exception of the large farm of Linton, exclusively and property of Sir George Stickland, Baronet, who is the lord of the manor. The living is a donative, in the patronage of Sir George Strickland: the church is in the early English style, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a tall and graceful spire”.

Spelling Variations
Some spelling variants or names with similar etymologies include Stirkeland, Stirkelaund, Strikelaunde, Stricland, Strikland, and Strichland.

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
The last name Strickland ranks 456^th in popularity in the United Status as of the 2000 Census. The name ranks particularly high in the following four states: North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. The surname Strickland frequency/commonness ranks as follows in the British Isles: England (2,310^th), Scotland (1,884^th), Wales (2,337^th), Ireland (5,083^rd) and Northern Ireland (5,630^th). In England, it ranks highest in counties Westmorland and Rutland. In Scotland, the surname ranks highest in West Lothian. In Wales, it ranks highest in Caernarfonshire. In Ireland, it ranks highest in King’s County. In Northern Ireland, it ranks highest in county Down. The name is also present throughout the remainder English speaking world:  Canada (1,729^th), New Zealand (1,538^th), Australia (1,623^rd), and South Africa (8,044^th).

Strickland Family Tree & Strickland Genealogy

Strickland of Cokethorpe Park
This branch of the Strickland family tree begins with Walter Strickland, an Esquire of Flamborough, county York, England, the son of George (3^rd Baronet of Boynton) and his wife Elizabeth Winn, who was born in December of 1771. In 1803, he first married Frances, daughter and co-heiress of Maximillian Western of Cokethorpe Park, Oxford, and secondly, Sarah Bucktrout. He had several issue, including a son named Walter. A one Katherine Strickland of Cokethorpe Park, county Oxford, and Flamborough, county York, was the daughter of Thomas Thornhill of Woodleys, who in 1844, married Walter Strickland of Cokethorpe, a Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant, and High Sheriff, who died in 1870. The Strickland Coat of Arms (erroneously called the Strickland Family Shield by those unfamiliar with genealogy) has the following heraldic blazon: Gules, a chevron or, between three crosses pattee, argent, on a canton ermine a buck’s head erased and attired sable, quartering Western. Crest: A turkey cock in his pride proper. This family was seated at Cokethorpe Park, Witney, England.

Strickland of Wassand
Another branch of this family were the Stricklands of Wassand Hall, a house located in Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, which has been owned by the Constable family since 1520. Henry Strickland-Constable was an Esquire of Wassand, county York, who was born in 1821. In 1859, he married Cornelia Charlotte Anne, daughter of Colonel Henry and Lady Sophia Dumareq, with whom he had six issue: Frederick Charles (1860), Marmaduke (1862), Ethel, Rosamond, Maria Sophia, and Lucy Winifred. He was the son of Sir George Strickland-Cholmey, Baronet of Boynton, and Mary Constable. The arms or armorial bearing of this family is blazoned in heraldry as follows: Quarterly, 1^st and 4^th, gules and vair, a bend or, for Constable; 2^nd and 3^rd, gules, a chevron or, between three crosses-pattee argent on a canton ermine a buck’s head erased and attired sable. Crests: A ship to the sinister, sails furled, all or, for Constable; a turkey cock in his pride proper, for Strickland.

Other Strickland Pedigree & Family Trees
The earliest known ancestor or progenitor of this family was Bertrand de Baux or Vaux who was born in Normandy, France in 950 AD. The following is a pedigree or lineage from him, according to WikiTree.com:
Eustace De Vaux (Vallibus Castle, Vaux et Falaise, Basse Normany, circa 970 AD)
Harold De Vaux (Vallibus Castle, Vaux-et-Falaise, Basse-Normandy, France circa 1010 AD)
Sir Robert DeVaux I (Falaise, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France circa 1035 AD)
Robert Harold II, Lord Calvados (Calvados, France circa 1065 AD)
Hubert de Vaux (Irthington, Cumberland, England, 1102 AD)
Eustace Vaux (Castle Carrock, Cumberland, England in 1145 AD)
Adam Vaux
Walter Fitzadam Strickland  (West Ward, Westmoreland, England 1151 AD)
Robert Strickland (Great Strickland, West Ward, 1174 AD)
Robert Strickland (Great Strickland, West Ward, 1195 AD)
William de Strickland (Great Strickland, West Ward, 1240 AD)
Sir Walter de Strickland (Sizergh Hall, Westmorland, England, 1265 AD)
Thomas Strickland (Sizergh Hall, Westmorland, England, 1299 AD)
Sir Walter Strickland III (Sizergh Castle,1325 AD)
Sir Thomas “of Sizergh” de Strickland (1367 AD)
Walter Strickland (Sizergh Castle, England, 1420 AD)
Sir Thomas Strickland (Sizergh Castle 1442 AD)
Sir Walter Strickland (Sizergh Castle 1464 AD)
Walter Strickland (1439 AD)
Walter Strickland Esq (Sizergh, Westmoreland, England, 1516 AD)
Sir Thomas Strickland KB (1564 AD)
Sir Robert Strickland M.P. (1600 AD)
Sir Thomas Strickland (1621 AD)
Walter Strickland (England, 1675 AD). This Walter married Anne Salvin and had three children with her: Thomas (1701), Jerrard/Gerald (1704), and Mary (1720).

Thwait Strickland was born in Westmoreland, England around 1619 AD. He went to colonial America, where in 1647, he married Elizabeth Shepard Disborough in Dedham, Massachusetts. He had six children with her as follows: Elizabeth (Andrews), John, Rebecca, Joseph, Johnathan, and Ephraim. His son John was born in 1649 and he married Esther Smith in Hartford, Connecticut, having the following issue with her: Rebecca (Couch), Joseph Jr., John, Benjamin, Jonah, and Samuel. His son Benjamin Strickland was born in Westherfield, Connecticut in 1683. He married Elizabeth Loveland, and had numerous issue with her as follows: Benjamin I, Jonathan, Seth, Jonah, Elizabeth (Andrews), Stephen, Easther, Nehemiah, Simeon, and Benjamin II. His son Benjamin II was born in Hartford, CT around 1730. He married Mary Hollister and had a daughter with her named Ruth, who was born in 1760, and married William Buck.

Early American and New World Settlers
Early settlers in colonial America bearing this surname include John Strickland (Massachusetts 1631), Henry and Joseph Strickland (Virginia 1670), Henry Strickland (New Jersey 1769), Hugh Strickland (Delaware 1789), and Daniel Strickland (Mississippi 1798). In Canada, one of the earliest settlers bearing this name was Joseph Strickland, who came to Riders Harbour in Newfoundland in 1811. In Australia, one of the first bearers was Thomas Strickland, a convict from Wiltshire, England who came to New South Wales (then a penal colony) aboard the Asia in October of 1824.

Early Americans Bearing the Strickland Family Crest
Charles Bolton’s American Armory (1927), Crozier’s General Armory (1904), and Matthew’s American Armoury and Bluebook (1907) do not contain an entries for this name.

Mottoes
I have identified two Strickland family mottoes:
1) Sans mal (Without death)
2) A la volonte de Dieu (At the will of God)*
*Perhaps derived from Psalm 8 of the Bible: “I delight to do thy will, O my God”.

Grantees
We have 12 coats of arms for the Strickland surname depicted here. These 12 blazons are from Bernard Burke’s book The General Armory of England, Ireland, and Scotland, which was published in 1848. The bottom of this page contains the blazons, and in many instances contains some historical, geographical, and genealogical about where coat of arms was found and who bore it. People with this last name that bore an Strickland Coat of Arms (or mistakenly called the Strickland Family Crest) include:
1) Strickland to Standish, of county Lancashire and Westmorland. Quarterly Arms, 1807

Notables
There are hundreds of notable people with the Strickland surname. This page will mention a handful. Famous people with this last name include: 1) Donald Darrell Strickland (1980) was a professional NFL cornerback who played for six different teams from 2003-2011 born in San Francisco, California, 2) Gerald Strickland (1861-1940), who was the 4^th Prime Minister of Malta, as well as the Governor of Tasmania, Governor of Western Australia, and held other positions, was the 1^st Baronet Strickland and 6^th Count della Catena who was born in Valletta, Malta whose full name was Gerald Paul Joseph Catejan Carmel Anthony Martin Strickland, 3) Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811-1853) who was an English geologist and naturalist born in Reighton, in East Riding of Yorkshire, 4) James Michael Strickland (1946) who was a pitcher in the MLB for the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians between 1971-1975, who was born in Los Angeles, California, 5) Jim Strickland (1963) who was born in Mishawaka, Indiana who became the 64^th Mayor of Memphis in 2016, 6) Major General Eugene Vincent “Michael” Strickland (1913-1982) who was the a officer in the British Army educated at Mayfield College and the Royal Military College who served in the Second World War and was the military adviser to the King of Jordan, 7) Lieutenant General Sir Edward Peter Strickland (1869-1951) who was a British Army officer who commanded the 1^st Infantry Division during World War I, born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire, 8) Shirley Strickland (1925-2004) who was an Australian athlete who won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports, who was born in Guildford, Western Australia, 9) William Strickland (died 1598) who was an English landowner and explorers who is credited as having introduced the turkey from America to England and was a Puritan Member of Parliament, and 10) Tom Strickland who is an American politician who was the US Attorney in Colorado from 1999-2001 and later the Assistance Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Sizergh, co. Westmorland; descended from Sir Robert De Strickland, who granted by deed, temp. Henry III., to William Strickland, his son, and Elizabeth, his wife, dau. of Sir Ralph Deincourt, Knt., on their marriage, his whole manor of Great Stirkland). Sa. three escallops ar. a border engr. of the last. Crest—A bundle of holly vert, fructed gu. banded round the middle with a wreath ar. and sa. Motto—Sans mal.
2) (co. Cumberland, 1615). Sa. three escallops ar. a border engr. of the last.
3) (co. Lancaster). Ar. three escallops sa.
4) (co. Suffolk). Ar. on a chief indented az. three escallops of the first.
5) (Thornton Bridge, co. York). Sa. three escallops ar. a border engr. of the last. Crest—A full-topped holly bush ppr.
6) (William Strickland, Bishop of Carlisle, 1400-19, his dau. and heir, Margaret, m. Sir Robert Lowther, Knt., of Lowther, co. Westmorland. Visit. Cumberland, 1615). Sa. three escallops ar. a border engr. of the last.
7) (Boynton, co. York, bart.; descended from Roger Strickland, Esq., of Marsk, co. York, temp. Henry VII., supposed to have been a younger branch of Strickland, of Sizergh; his son, William Strickland, purchased Boynton, co. York, and m. Elizabeth, dau. of Sir Walter Strickland, Knt., of Sizergh. He obtained a grant of arms 1550, and d. 1598; his grandson, Sir William Strickland, first bart. of Boynton, was summoned to Oliver Cromwell’s “Other House of Parliament” as lord Strickland; Sir George Strickland, seventh bart., son of Sir William, the sixth bart., by Henrietta his wife, dau. and co-heir of Nathaniel Cholmley, Esq., of Whitby, assumed by royal licence, 1865, the surname of Cholmley only; his son, the eighth bart., resumed the name). Gu. a chev. or, betw. three crosses pattee ar. on a canton erm. a buck’s head erased and attired sa. Crest—A turkey-cock in his pride ppr. Motto—A la volonte de Dieu.
8) (Strickland-Constable) (Wassand, co. York; Henry Strickland, Esq., second surviving son of Sir George Cholmley (Strickland) seventh bart. of Boynton, by Mary, his wife, only dau. and heir of Rev. Charles Constable, of Wassand, assumed by royal licence, 1863, the additional surname of Constable). Quarterly, 1st and 4th, gu. and vair, a bend or, for Constable; 2nd and 3rd, gu. a chev. or, betw. three crosses pattee ar. on a canton erm. a buck’s head erased and attired sa., for Strickland. Crests— 1st, Constable: A ship to the sinister sails furled all or; 2nd, Strickland : A turkey-cock in his pride ppr.
9) (Cokethorpe Park, co. Oxford, and Flamborough, co. York; descended from Walter Strickland, Esq., of Flamborough, third son of Sir George Strickland, fifth bart of Boynton). Gu. a chev. or, betw. three crosses pattee ar. on a canton erm. a buck’s head erased and attired sa., quartering Western. Crest—A turkey-cock in his pride ppr.
10) Sa. a fess componee ar. and gu. betw. three escallops of the second.
11) Ar. two bars gu. a canton of the last.
12) (Dorchester). Sa. a chev. betw. three escallops ar. Crest—An escallop shell ar.