A surname and place name, most notably referring to Pickering, Ontario, Canada, or various towns in England. Also associated with several historical figures.
Old English surname meaning 'people of Piccer,' where Piccer was a personal name possibly meaning 'pointed hill' or 'pike.' The -ing suffix indicates 'family or followers of,' making it a patronymic surname that became attached to geographic locations.
Pickering, Ontario, is fascinating because it's one of the few major North American cities named after a relatively obscure English market town - yet it became home to a major nuclear generating station, making this medieval English name synonymous with atomic energy in Canada.
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