| ![Show Contents]() Franklyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Franklyn is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was taken on by someone who worked as a landowner who was not a member of the nobility. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word fraunclein, which became frankeleyn in Old English, and denoted rank within the feudal system; a person "superior freeholder," next below gentlemen in dignity, now called country Squires. Moreover England is so filled and replenished with landed menne, that therein the smallest thorpe can not be found wherin dwelleth not a knight or an esquire, or such a householder as is there commonly called a Franklin, enriched with great possessions, and also other freeholders, and many yeomen, able for their livelyhood to make a jury in form aforementioned." 1 Chaucer mentions in his famous Canterbury Tales: "A Franklin was in this companie, White was his beard, as is the dayesie." Early Origins of the Franklyn familyThe surname Franklyn was first found in "Oxfordshire has been for ages one of the principal homes of the Franklins. The name, which in early times, as well as in those of Shakespeare, often signified a freeholder, is also established in Bucks, Berks, Beds, Herts, Essex, and Northamptonshire, so that it may be said to occupy a somewhat circumscribed and continuous area. In the 13th century its usual forms were Frankelayn, Frankeleyn, Fraunkelayn, Fraunkeleyn, sometimes preceded by "Le" and "De," Frankelin being rare; it was then especially numerous in Oxfordshire, and also in fair numbers in Bucks and Wilts, so that it would appear that in those early times, as in our own day, Oxfordshire and Bucks stood foremost amongst the English counties for their proportion of the Franklins." 2 Early rolls underline the wide spellings in use through the ages: Ralph Frankelem was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195; Luke le Franckeleyn in the Feet of Fines for Cambridgeshire in 1234; Roger le Franklyn in the Hundredorum Rolls for Dorset in 1274; and John ffranklyng was recorded in 1522. 3 The famed Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was the son of Josiah Franklin Sr. (1657-1745), an English businessman from Ecton, Northamptonshire. Josiah emigrated to the American colonies in 1682 and married twice, having 17 children. Benjamin was Josiah Franklin's fifteenth child. Early History of the Franklyn familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Franklyn research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1234, 1274, 1480, 1556, 1625, 1630, 1640, 1647, 1655, 1656, 1660, 1661, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1695, 1697, 1698, 1728 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Franklyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Franklyn Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Franklyn include Franklyn, Francklyn, Francklin, Franklin, Franklind and many more. Early Notables of the Franklyn familyNotables of this surname at this time include: - William Franklyn (1480?-1556), Dean of Windsor, born at Bledlow, Buckinghamshire
- Sir John Franklyn (died 1647), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Middlesex in 1625 and 1640
 Migration of the Franklyn family to Ireland
Some of the Franklyn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Franklyn migration to the United States | + |
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Franklyn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Henry Franklyn, who landed in Maryland in 1649 4
Franklyn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Robert Franklyn, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 4
- William Franklyn, who landed in Virginia in 1705 4
- Mary Franklyn, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4
Franklyn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Joseph Franklyn, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
| Franklyn migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Franklyn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Elizabeth Franklyn, English convict from Bristol, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
- Mr. Charles Franklyn, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
- Mr. John Franklyn, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
| Franklyn migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Franklyn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. Edmund Franklyn, (b. 1813), aged 28, British saddle, harness and collar maker travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 8
- Mrs. Elizabeth Franklyn, (b. 1817), aged 24, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 8
- Miss Sarah Franklyn, (b. 1838), aged 2 years 6 months, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841, she died on board 8
- James Franklyn, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golconda" in 1859
| Franklyn migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9Franklyn Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Robert Franklyn, who settled in Barbados in 1667
| Contemporary Notables of the name Franklyn (post 1700) | + |
- Delano Franklyn (1959-2023), Jamaican attorney-at-Law, a Justice of the Peace and a Notary Public and one of the founding partners of the law firm Wilson & Franklyn
- Aaran Franklyn Lines (b. 1976), retired New Zealand association football player
- Franklyn MacCormack (1906-1971), American actor and writer, from Waterloo, Iowa, known for The Admiral Movie Theatre of the Air (1948) and Cavalcade of America (1952)
- Franklyn K. Morgan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 14th District, 1940 10
- Franklyn Bruce Modell (1917-2016), American cartoonist who contributed over 1, 400 cartoons to The New Yorker for over 50 years
- Franklyn Seales (1952-1990), American film, television and stage actor, known for his roles in The Onion Field, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Southern Comfort
- Franklyn Baptiste (b. 1973), Grenadian football player
- Franklyn Farnum (1878-1961), stage name of William Smith, American character actor
- Franklyn Taft Melrose (1907-1941), American jazz and blues pianist
- Franklyn Hinds (b. 1967), Cayman Islands cricketer
| Historic Events for the Franklyn family | + |
- Master William Franklyn (1909-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 11
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: Pro rege et patria
Motto Translation: For King and country.
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
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Franklyn migration to the United States 
Franklyn migration to Australia 
Franklyn migration to New Zealand 
Franklyn migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
