Picot

This interesting name is English but of Norman-French origins. First introduced after the famous Conquest of 1066 in the form of a personal name "Pic", and later with the added diminutive suffixes of "et" or "ot", it became initially Picot, Pigot and Piket. The original derivation is from the word "pic", meaning sharp or pointed, and it was a common element in words and names, being used to a steep hill, or the use or manufacture of sharp or pointed implements or weapons, or even as a nickname for a tall, thin person. Over the centuries the name development has included: William Piket of Berkshire in 1177; Waubert Pyket of London in 1227; and Peter Pygot of Cambridgeshire in 1285. Amongst the many spellings of the modern surname are Pickett, Pikett, Pigott, Piggot, Picott, Pickett, and Pykett. Adam Pickett was the master of the ketch "New London" on its voyage to Barbadoes in 1679. A coat of arms associated with the name has the blazon of three silver pickaxes on a black shield, with the crest of a dexter arm embowed, holding a pickaxe. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Picot. This 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.