Pickett

This interesting name is of Norman origin, introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066 in the form of a personal name "Pic", here with the diminutive suffixes "et" or "ot", and recorded as "Picot, Pigot" and Piket". The name is ultimately of Germanic derivation, from "pic", meaning "sharp", or "pointed", which was a common element in names meaning for instance, residence near a "pointed hill", use of a particular sharp or pointed tool or weapon, or a nickname for a tall, thin person. The name development has included: William Piket (1177, Berkshire); Waubert Pyket (1277, London); and Peter Pygot (1285, Cambridgeshire). Among the variants of the modern surname are Pickett, Pikett, Pigott, Pig(g)ot, Picot and Pykett. Adam Pickett commanded the ketch "New London" on its voyage to the Barbadoes in 1679. A Coat of Arms granted to the Pickett family depicts three silver pickaxes on a black shield, with the Crest consisting of a dexter arm embowed, silver vested, green cuffed, charged with two green bars wavy, holding a pickaxe proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Picot, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Cheshire, during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.