This unusual name is of Yorkshire origin and is a locational surname from residence by one of the two "Kex Beck's in West Yorkshire, one a tributary of the Royal Wharfe and one of the Royal Laver. The meaning of the first element varies, it can mean "kex", a plant with a dry, hollow stem such as wilde chervil or it can mean a narrow valley, from the Old Norse word "kioss". The suranme "kick, Kix, or Kike" shows a dialectual pronunciation leading to the spelling change of "e" to "i". The name can also come from the Old Norse personal name "keikr" (meaning "bent backwards"), Old Danish "kek", as in the place in East Yorkshire called "Kexby", recorded as Robert Peart in November 1627 in Burnsall, Yorkshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Felix Kike, married Izabell Elkine, which was dated 10th October 1563, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "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.

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