Wick
A common English surname from places called Wick, meaning a village, settlement, or similar inhabited place.
The #4,253 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,051 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wick comes from Old English wic, a very old place-word used for a dwelling, village, or settlement, and in some contexts a market place, camp, or even a fortified site. It is related to Latin vicus, meaning “village” or “district,” and appears widely in English place-names. The surname was used for someone who lived at or came from one of the many places called Wick.
History
The name is especially tied to English and Scottish place-names, so it arose independently in more than one locality. Early records in surname dictionaries treat it as a classic local surname, and related forms such as Attewick also point to residence “at the wick.” It remains relatively uncommon in the modern United States compared with its historical British roots.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old English wic could cover a surprisingly wide range of places, from a simple village to a military station or market site.
From the historical record
“WICK "I (Eng.) Bel. to Wick [O.E. wic (sg.), WICKE J dwel]ing(s, village, market-place,&c.; (pi.) camp, castle] And was bar wonnand in fiat wik jjat hight losep, a burges rile. (And there was dwelling in that wick”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)