Foulke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The old Welsh surname Foulke comes from the popular personal name Fulk. This forename of Norman origin originally came from one of a number of Germanic personal names with the first portion "folk-," which means "people."

Early Origins of the Foulke family

The surname Foulke was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales, created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where they held a family seat at "Yr Eifiad" from very ancient times, some say before the 9th century.

Another source notes "the pedigree is deduced from Marchudd ap Cynan, lord of Brynffenigi, who flourished in the ninth century. The name appears to have been borrowed from Ffoulk ap Thomas, who lived early in the sixteenth century, and whose descendants have ever since borne it." 1 And that "an early form of a capital F was ff." 2

Sir Martin Browne ffolkes, 1st Baronet, FRS (1749-1821) was an English Baronet and Member of Parliament. Son of William Folkes, he chose to revert his name back to the ffolkes spelling to better note his heritage. The Baronetcy continues to today using the same spelling with Sir Robert Francis Alexander ffolkes, 7th Baronet (born 1943.)

Early History of the Foulke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foulke research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1660, 1661, 1676, 1678, 1679, 1691 and 1747 are included under the topic Early Foulke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foulke Spelling Variations

Compared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations. These spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. People could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Foulke name over the years has been spelled Foulke, Foulks, Foulkes and others.

Early Notables of the Foulke family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

William Foulkes (died 1691), a Welsh cleric and writer, Rector of Cwm in Denbighshire in 1660, of Llanfyllin and of Llanbrynmair in 1661, positions he held until his death
Peter Foulkes (1676-1747), was a scholar and divine, was the third son of Robert Foulkes of Llechryd, Denbighshire, deputy Baron of the court of exchequer of Chester. 3
On the infamous side, Robert Foulkes (d. 1679) was a vicar of Stanton Lacy in Shropshire. "He seduced a young lady who resided with him, took a lodging for her in York Buildings in the Strand, and the...

Foulke migration to the United States +

The Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Foulke:

Foulke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Foulke, who settled in Virginia in 1623
William Foulke, who settled in Virginia in 1624
William Foulke, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1625 4
Thomas Foulke, who landed in New Jersey in 1677 4
Thomas Foulke, who settled in New Castle Del. in 1677
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foulke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Wilhelm Foulke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1762 4
John Wilhelm Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1762 4
John Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 4
George Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 4
Adam Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 4

Foulke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Philip Foulke, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Foulke (post 1700) +

William Dudley Foulke (1848-1935), American politician, Member of Indiana State Senate, 1883-86; Member, U.S. Civil Service Commission, 1901-03 5
Jesse R. Foulke, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1884 5
Howard A. Foulke, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1944 5
Mary Foulke Morrisson (1879-1971), American pioneer in the Women's rights movement and was a prominent member of the Board of Trustees at Connecticut College for 28 years

The Foulke Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Jure, non dono
Motto Translation: By right, not by gift.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html