Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Gyckeley 1276 RH

• Yclele 1279 Ipm

• Yickele 1284 FA

• Yckeleye 1302 FA

• Yekele 1316 FA

• Ikkele 1346 FA 1350 Pat

• The Hickles 1766 J

Etymology

This is a difficult name but the first element may be a lost OE  pers name Gicel (a ), connected with OE  gicel 'icicle'. The corresponding ON  Iǫkull is used freely both as a first name and as a nickname. Professor Ekwall suggests alternatively an OE  *Gīecla , a diminutive from gēac , and Professor Zachrisson a pers.name *Gicca from *Gīsica , a diminutive of a name in Gīsl .The second is leah. The modern form is pseudo-comic as well as pseudo-manorial. For the dropping of the initial [j] cf. Ixworth (Sf), Easington (Nb), Ickwell (Mx), Ipswich (Sf).