Flax History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Flax family

The surname Flax was first found in Huntingdonshire where in the year 1279 William Flexman held estates in that shire. A few years later, Richard le flexmongere was laos listed there in 1294. In Norfolk, Nicholas Flaxman was listed as holding lands there in 1332. 1

Early History of the Flax family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flax research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1205, 1327, 1332, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Flax History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flax Spelling Variations

Flax has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Flaxman, Flexman, Flashman, Flachman, Fleshman, Flesh and many more.

Early Notables of the Flax family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Flaxman family of Huntingdon

Flax Ranking

In the United States, the name Flax is the 18,711^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Flax migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Flaxs to arrive on North American shores:

Flax Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alice Flax, who landed in Virginia in 1680 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Flax (post 1700) +

Ira Flax (b. 1961), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 2008 (speaker) 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html