Show ContentsFelkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Felkins was a patronymic surname, created from a form of the medieval personal name Philip. It was also a habitational name from a place name in Oxfordshire. Forms of the name such as de Filking(es) are found in this region from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Early Origins of the Felkins family

The surname Felkins was first found in Oxfordshire at Filkins is a village in the civil parish of Filkins and Broughton Poggs. The village dates back to the 12th century when it was listed as Filching. The place name probably means "settlement of the family or followers of a man called Filica," from the Old English personal name + "-ingas." 1 However, the first record of the surname was found in Cheshire in the 13th century when Filkin family held estates there at that time.

Early History of the Felkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Felkins research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1045, 1424, 1453, 1455, 1487, 1505, 1510, 1535, 1549, 1583 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Felkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Felkins Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Felkins has appeared include Filkin, Filkyn, Fylkin, Fulkin, Fulkyn, Filkins, Philkin, Phylkin, Filken, Felkin and many more.

Early Notables of the Felkins family

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

Migration of the Felkins family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Felkins arrived in North America very early: a Robert Philkyn, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 as a British emigrant. Owen, Peter, and Robert Filkin all received land grants in Virginia between 1656 and 1713. Also, a J.H. Filkin arrived by ship in San Francisco in 1852..



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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