Show ContentsHinck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hinck is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the son of Hink or Hinche. [1] However, for the reader's perusal we are including the following quotation: "Hinks is no doubt a corruption of Hengest, which signifies a stallion. Some traditions make Heingist a Frisian, in which language the word is hingst, which approaches nearer to Hincks. In the names of places, Heingist has become changed to Hinks, as in Hinksey, county Berkshire." [2]

Early Origins of the Hinck family

The surname Hinck was first found in Oxfordshire at either North Hinksey or South Hinksey, parishes, in the union of Abingdon, hundred of Hormer. [3] Traditionally part of Berkshire, this jurisdiction was changed to Oxfordshire in 1974. The place name dates back to Saxon times when it was first listed as Hengestesige in the 10th century. Literally the place name means "island or well-watered land of the stallion or of a man called Hengest," from the Old English words hengest or the Old English personal name + "eg." [4] One of the earliest records of the family was Roger Hanke who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Norfolk. [5] William Hynke was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327 as was ? Hynks in 1381. [6]

Early History of the Hinck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hinck research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1576 is included under the topic Early Hinck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hinck Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hinck has undergone many spelling variations, including Hincks, Hinks, Hinck, Hincke, Hinckes, Hink and others.

Early Notables of the Hinck family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Hincks of Berkshire


United States Hinck migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hinck were among those contributors:

Hinck Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Hinck who settled in Maryland in 1734
  • Caspar Hinck, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1754
  • Joh Georg Conrad Hinck, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 [7]
  • Johann Mathias Hinck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1773 [7]
Hinck Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joh Conr Hinck, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 [7]
  • Miss Elise Hinck, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans in 1845 aboard the ship "Agnes"

Contemporary Notables of the name Hinck (post 1700) +

  • Jon Hinck (b. 1954), American environmentalist, lawyer and politician, Member of the Maine House of Representatives (2006-2012)


  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. 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)


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