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Munk History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Munk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Denmark
England
Ireland

The name Munk reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Munk family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Munk is a name for a monk. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English word munuc, of the same meaning, and would indicate that the original bearer was a Monk in the medieval period (celibacy among monks was not generally adopted until the later Middle Ages, so some of them would have had families). On the other hand, the surname may be a nickname to describe someone who was perhaps a recluse.

Early Origins of the Munk family

The surname Munk was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Potheridge and descended from a Norman noble, Le Moyne, who attended Duke William at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Conjecturally they are descended from the holder of the lands of Potheridge at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, Aubrey from Baldwin the Sheriff of Devon, who held a mare and three clusters of horses at Great and Little Potheridge and Potheridge Gate. William Le Moyne's principal seat was at Dunster Castle. From this distinguished family name are descended the ancient and ardent royalist house of the Dukes of Albermarle.

"The parish of Merton is celebrated as containing the manor of Potheridge, the home for many descents of the family of Monk, made illustrious in their descendant, the famous General. There is some little confusion as to the exact place of [Col. Thomas] Monk's birth (1608), arising from the fact that he was baptized, not at Merton, but at Landcross, a parish some miles distant, adjoining Bideford. Hence he has been variously regarded as being born at Potheridge and at Landcross. However, Potheridge was both the seat of his family and became his own chief residence. The mansion was rebuilt by him for that purpose ; but in greater part was destroyed after the death of the widow of his son Christopher, the second and last duke, in 1734." 1

Moynes Court is a building in the village of Mathern, Monmouthshire, Wales, which dates back to c. 1609. The original manor dates back to c. 1254.

Early History of the Munk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Munk research. Another 37 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1608, 1610, 1627, 1653, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1670, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1701, 1715 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Munk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Munk Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Monk, Monks, Monck, Moncks, Monckes and others.

Early Notables of the Munk family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670), English general and statesman, instrumental in the restoration of Charles II to the English throne in 1660; Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, KG, PC (1653-1688), an English soldier and politician; Nicholas Monck (c...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Munk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Munk Ranking

In the United States, the name Munk is the 12,763^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Munk family to Ireland

Some of the Munk family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Munk migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Munk or a variant listed above:

Munk Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Philip Godfriet Munk, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 3

Munk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Christoph Munk, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Weser"
Mr. Fried. Munk, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Weser"
Dorothea Munk, who landed in Texas in 1846 3
Israel Munk, who arrived in New York in 1878 3

Munk migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Munk Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Munk, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Munk (post 1700) +

Leona Addie Munk (1911-2003), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nevada, 1960 5
Harry A. Munk (1901-1955), American Republican politician, Member of Nevada State Senate, 1950 5
Walter Heinrich Munk (b. 1917), Vienna-born, American oceanographer
Michael Max Munk (1890-1986), German aerospace engineer who created the Variable-Density Wind tunnel in 1921
Nina Munk (b. 1967), American journalist and non-fiction writer
William Munk (b. 1824), English physician, best known for his work as a medical historian and "Munk's Roll"
Peter Munk CC (1927-2018), Hungarian-born, Canadian businessman and philanthropist, Chairman and founder of the mining company Barrick Gold
Hermann Munk (1839-1912), German physiologist, known for his contributions in the study of the route from the eye to the brain through his meticulous research methods
Andrzej Munk (1920-1961), Polish film director, screen writer and documentalist
József Munk (b. 1890), Hungarian silver medalist freestyle swimmer at the 1908 Summer Olympics
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html