Dennick - Name

This rare and interesting name is of Medieval English origin and is a dialectal variant of a locational name Denwick (pronounced denik) from a place so called in Northumberland. The earliest recording of this placename is 'Den(e)wyc', found in the Fees of Northumberland of 1242, and in 1265 as 'Denewic', and derives from the Old English pre 7th Century 'denu', a valley, with 'wic', a dairy farm, thus a dairy farm in the valley. During the Middle Ages when it was becoming increasingly common for people to migrate from their birthplaces to seek work elsewhere, they would often adopt the placename as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. One George Dennick was christened on September 10th 1706 at St. Martin-in-th-Fields, Westminster, and Sarah Ann Dennick on October 30th 1836 at Whitkirk, Yorkshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jone Denic, which was dated January 24th 1564, St. Olave, Old Jewry, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 'Good Queen Bess', 1558-1603. 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.