Pickens
A surname that most likely began as a patronymic, meaning “son of Picken” or “son of Pick,” with English roots.
The #2,195 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,625 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harrison treats Pickens as a patronymic formed from the surname Picken, essentially “Picken’s son.” Picken itself is connected to Pick, an old English name or nickname related to the word for a pike or pointed object, with the -en ending functioning as a diminutive or surname-forming element in some cases. The final -s is the familiar possessive/patronymic ending seen in many English surnames.
History
The name is well established in English-speaking countries and is especially familiar in the United States. The excerpts also show it as an established surname in America by the 19th century, including in regional and urban listings. As with many surnames of this type, spelling has remained fairly stable, though related forms such as Picken and Picker occur.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Harrison explicitly glosses it as “Picken’s (son),” making it one of the more straightforward English-style family-name formations.
From the historical record
“-on. PICKENS, PiCKEN's (Son) : v. Picken. PICKER I = Pick (Eng.), Peak(e, q.v. -f the agent. SufF. -er. Cp. Pecker. 2 the Picker, Gatherer. PICKERDITE, doubtless a corrupt form of Bickerdike = Bi(c)ker's Dike [v. under”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)