Vicent

This is a rare and unusual surname. It is probably of French origins, although this is not absolutely proven. In England it appears to be first recorded in the year 1624, with that of Amias Vucent who married Margaret Alexander at the church of All Hallows, London Wall, on January 12th 1624. However the spelling as Vucent is not repeated in future registers, nor does it seem to appear in any French records. The title of Comte or Conte was often used in Medieval France as a nickname surname for actors who played the part of a nobleman in the theatres of the time, although occasionally it was used as a family name for a noble family. The title of Vicence or Viscont was restored by Emperor Napoleon in 1804, and it is possible or even probable that the surname of Vicent comes from this form. What we can be reasonably certain is that given the date of the first recording, if French it was Huguenot Protestant. Between 1580 and 1730 an estimated fifty thousand Huguenots fled France to escape persecution and came to Britain. Many changed the spelling of their name to a more English form, and this may be one of them.