Origin of the Name Pike
The
Pike family history was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. Variants of Pike include Pick and Pyke. This is a locality name meaning 'the pike', from a person who lived beside a sharp point on a hill. This name is of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in the above country. Examples of such are a Walter Pik, County Huntingdonshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England , in the year 1273 and a Richard Pik, County Wiltshire, who was also recorded in the same year in this ancient document.
Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by creating, maintaining and updating these reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.
In Ireland this name is recorded as early as 1393 in Youghal, County Cork , from where the name spread to County Waterford and beyond.
The Pike coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Pike descendants.