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Anker History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Anker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The distinguished surname Anker first came to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is derived from the Old French "anchier," meaning "anchorite" or "religious recluse," and was likely first bestowed as a nickname on someone with a reclusive or fanatically religious character.

Early Origins of the Anker family

The surname Anker was first found in the northern counties of England. After the Norman Conquest, natives of Normandy left their native land to settle in England; it is thought that the Anker family is descended from a Norman settler who bore the name Anchier.

Early History of the Anker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anker research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1379, 1395 and 1877 are included under the topic Early Anker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anker Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Anker were recorded, including Ankers, Anker, Ankier, Anchor, Annacker, Annercaw and others.

Early Notables of the Anker family

More information is included under the topic Early Anker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anker Ranking

In the United States, the name Anker is the 18,833^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Anker family to Ireland

Some of the Anker family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anker migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Anker arrived in North America very early:

Anker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Illel Moses Anker, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1835 2
StiIlel Moses Anker, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1835 2
Augusta Anker, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
Christian Anker, aged 47, who settled in America, in 1895

Anker Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Fred Anker, who landed in Arkansas in 1900 2
Jacob Anker, who landed in Arkansas in 1900 2
Alice Anker, aged 24, who landed in America from Exeter, England, in 1914
Charles Anker, aged 15, who landed in America, in 1922

Anker migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Anker Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Private August Anker, U.E.aka "Augustus", "Anger", United Empire Loyalist, (b. 1760) born in Germany, was located in Susquehanna Valley, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, (Wilkes-Barre today) before the conflict started, who settled in Moulton Township [Moulton, Haldimand County], Upper Canada c. 1783 enlisted in December, 1777. Was part of the Butler's Rangers Regiment, married Rosanna Buck in Wyoming, Pennsylvania they had 6 children 3
Private John Charles Anker, U.E.aka "Charles", "Anger", United Empire Loyalist, (b. 1736), was located in Susquehanna Valley, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, (Wilkes-Barre today) before the conflict started, who settled in Bertie Township, Welland County, [Fort Erie], Ontario c. 1783 enlisted in 1777. Was part of the Butler's Rangers Regiment was discharged on June 24, 1784, later died on February 27, 1813 buried at Coloured Cemetery, Bertie Township, Welland County, Ontario 3
Private Frederick Anker, Jr., U.E., "Anger", United Empire Loyalist, (b. 1766), was located in Susquehanna Valley, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, (Wilkes-Barre today) before the conflict started, who settled in Bertie Township, Welland County, [Fort Erie], Ontario c. 1783 enlisted in 1783 part of the Butler's Rangers Regiment, married Mary Magdalen Windecker, they had 12 children 3
Private George Frederick Anger Anker, Sr., U.E., "Anger", United Empire Loyalist, (b. 1721) born in Germany, was located in Susquehanna Valley, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, (Wilkes-Barre today) before the conflict started, who settled in Bertie Township, Welland County, [Fort Erie], Ontario c. 1783 enlisted in 1777 part of the Butler's Rangers Regiment, died in March, 1813 3

Anker migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Anker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Anker, British convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Anker (post 1700) +

Irving Anker (1911-2000), American educator
Peter A. Anker, American politician, Village President of South Holland, Illinois, 1925 5
M. Anker, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado Territory, 1868 5
Helen Anker (b. 1972), English actress
Christian Anker (1917-1988), Norwegian businessman
Christian August Anker (1896-1982), Norwegian businessman
Peter Martin Anker (1801-1863), Norwegian politician
Peter Martin Anker (1903-1977), Norwegian diplomat
Peter Anker (1927-2012), Norwegian art historian
Nils Anker (1836-1893), Norwegian politician
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html