Selke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Selke is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the baptismal name for the son of Cecil, deriving from the nickname Sill. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The earliest surnames in England were found shortly after the Norman Conquest and are of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Selke family

The surname Selke was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat from early times and were anciently descended from the distinguished Saxon family who held a family seat there well before the Norman Conquest. The name is derived from a colloquial term in Derbyshire about the year 1000 describing a thrush, i.e. a "shrilcock" or "shilcock."

Early History of the Selke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selke research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1283, 1379 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Selke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selke Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Selke has been recorded under many different variations, including Silcock, Silcocks, Silcox, Sylcox, Sylcock, Shilcock, Shrilcox, Shrilcocks, Silk and many more.

Early Notables of the Selke family

More information is included under the topic Early Selke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selke migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Selke or a variant listed above:

Selke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G A Selke, who arrived in Texas in 1867 1
John Selke, who landed in Arkansas in 1872 1

Citations +

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)