Show ContentsBabcock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Babcock family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the personal name Bartholomew. Bat(e) was a pet form of this personal name and when combined with 'cock' which was a common suffix for other names like Wilcox, Simcock and others became Batcock. 1 2

Early Origins of the Babcock family

The surname Babcock was first found in Worcestershire where Edrich Bathecoc was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1221. Later, the mononym Batecok was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1288 in Cheshire and later again, the same rolls listed Richard Batcok in 1285. Down in Dorset, we found William Badecok in 1297. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Geoffrey Batecok, London; William Badecok, Cambridgeshire; and Robert Batecoc, Oxfordshire. 2 In Somerset, Kirby's Quest lists Stephen Badcok and Badokok Jerveys, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III) 3

"The Rev. Samuel Badcock, the eminent divine, was born at South Molton in 1747, the son of a butcher, and the name still belongs to that trade in the town. There was a William Badecok in Cambridgeshire in the 13th century." 4

Early History of the Babcock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Babcock research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1609, 1622, 1668, 1698, 1721, 1744, 1747, 1749, 1766, 1783, 1786, 1788, 1790, 1797, 1809, 1821, 1859 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Babcock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Babcock Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Babcock include Babcock, Badcock, Babbcock, Batcock, Badcocke and many more.

Early Notables of the Babcock family

Distinguished members of the family include William Badcock (1622-1698), a London goldsmith and hilt-maker, admitted to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths of London in September 1668. Samuel Badcock (1747-1788), theological and literary critic, was born at South Molton, Devon, 23 Feb. 1747. His parents were dissenters, and he was educated in a school at Ottery St. Mary, which was reserved for the sons of those opposed to the English church. He was trained for the dissenting ministry, and in 1766 became the pastor of a congregation at Wimborne in...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Babcock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Babcock Ranking

In the United States, the name Babcock is the 1,702nd most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 5


United States Babcock migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Babcock were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Babcock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Babcock, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623
  • George Babcock, who settled in Boston in 1638
  • George Babcock, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 6
  • David Babcock, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1640
  • Robert Babcock, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1648 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Babcock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Babcock, who landed in Connecticut in 1702 6
  • Jonathan Babcock, who arrived in Connecticut in 1711 6
  • William Babcock, who arrived in Beverly, Massachusetts in 1723 6
  • Luke Babcock, who arrived in New England in 1770 6
  • Eleanor Babcock, who arrived in New York in 1780
Babcock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Amos Babcock, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822
  • Mr. Babcock, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 6
  • James Babcock who settled in New York in 1823
  • B T Babcock, aged 22, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
  • H L Babcock, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Babcock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Tilda Babcock, who landed in Colorado in 1906 6

Canada Babcock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Babcock Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jonathan Babcock, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1761
  • Benjamin Babcock, who arrived at Annapolis, Nova Scotia in 1782
  • Mr. John Babcock Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 7
  • Mr. Benjamin Babcock U.E. who settled in Kingston, Ontario c. 1783 7
  • Capt. David Babcock U.E. who settled in Kingston, Ontario c. 1783 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Babcock Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Babcock, who landed in Canada in 1833

Contemporary Notables of the name Babcock (post 1700) +

  • Tim Milford Babcock (1919-2015), American politician, 16th Governor of Montana (1962-1969), 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Montana (1961-1962)
  • Brigadier-General Franklin Babcock (1885-1972), American Chief Investigation Division, Office of the Inspector-General (1942-1946) 8
  • Alpheus Babcock (1785-1842), American piano and musical instrument maker 9
  • Barbara Babcock (b. 1937), American Emmy Award winning television actress 10
  • Orville Elias Babcock (1835-1884), American Civil War General in the Union Army 11
  • Stephen Moulton Babcock (1843-1931), American agricultural chemist 12
  • Harold Delos Babcock (1882-1968), American astronomer and winner of the 1953 Bruce Medal, one of the highest honors in the field of astronomy 13
  • Agnes A. Babcock, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Rhode Island, 1924 14
  • A. H. Babcock, American politician, Mayor of Lorain, Ohio, 1888-90, 1898-1900 14
  • A. Emerson Babcock, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 38th District, 1912 14
  • ... (Another 94 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Babcock +

  • Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of Nathan Burch (1781-1858) and Damaris Babcock (1783-1869) of Brookfield, Madison County, New York by Harold John Witter.
  • Slade-Babcock Genealogy by Carl Boyer.

  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. 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
  8. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Franklin Babcock. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Babcock/Franklin/USA.html
  9. Alpheus Babcock. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Alpheus Babcock. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpheus_Babcock
  10. Barbara Babcock. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Barbara Babcock. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Babcock
  11. Orville Babcock. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Orville Babcock. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_E._Babcock
  12. Stephen Babcock. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Stephen Babcock. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Moulton_Babcock
  13. Harold Babcock. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Harold Babcock. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_D._Babcock
  14. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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