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Speck History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Speck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Speck is one of the names carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is based on the Norman given name Espec.

Early Origins of the Speck family

The surname Speck was first found in Lancashire where a Norman noble Le Espec was an under tenant of Roger de Poitou, and was granted the lands of Speke outside Liverpool in Lancashire. Soon after the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a descendant, Richard Le Espec acquired the manors of Wenworthy and Brampton Speke in the county of Devon, 1 which he held from Robert Fitzroy of Oakhampton. His descendent, William Le Espec married and acquired the estates of Gervois.

Walter Espec (d. 1153), was founder of Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire, and was probably the son of William Spech, who in 1085 held Warden, Bedfordshire, where some fifty years later Walter Espec founded and endowed an Abbey. "Espec's chief property was in Yorkshire, and he resided at Helmsley. Under Henry I he was Justice of the Forests and Itinerant Justice in the northern counties. Under Stephen he actively resisted the Scotch invasion. On 10 Jan. 1138 FitzDuncan failed in a night attack on Espec's castle of Wark. Then King David and his son Henry came up and formed a regular siege for three weeks, after which the main body passed on to Harry Northumberland. Three months later (c. 8 May) the garrison swooped down upon the Scotch king's commissariat, and had to submit to a second siege. The castle was stoutly defended by Walter's nephew, John de Bussey, but had to surrender about 11 Nov. " 2

Early History of the Speck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Speck research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1653, 1661, 1675, 1681 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Speck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Speck Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Speak, Speck, Speake, Speke and others.

Early Notables of the Speck family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Speke of Whitelackington; and Sir Hugh Speke, 1st Baronet of Hasilbury, Wiltshire (died 1661), an English politician who sat...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Speck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Speck Ranking

In the United States, the name Speck is the 6,515^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Speck migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Speck or a variant listed above:

Speck Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joh Wilhelm Speck, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 4
Matthias Speck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 4
Willem Speck, aged 23, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 4
William Speck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 4
Johann Adam Speck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Speck Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cathrina Speck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 4
Johannes Speck, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 4
Studarth Speck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 4
Welhelmina Speck, aged 32, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 4
Frederica Speck, aged 6, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Speck migration to Australia +

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

Speck Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Speck, aged 32, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 5
William Speck, aged 34, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Speck (post 1700) +

Frank Gouldsmith Speck (1881-1950), American anthropologist
Robert Clifford "Cliff" Speck (b. 1956), American Major League Baseball pitcher
William Arthur "W. A." Speck (b. 1938), British historian
Wieland Speck (b. 1951), German film director
Christa Speck (b. 1942), German model and actress

Historic Events for the Speck family +

Hindenburg LZ-129

Mr. Willy Speck (1892-1937), German Chief Radio Officer from Frankfurt, Germany, who worked on board the Hindenburg LZ-129 and survived the Airship Fire, but later died in hospital from injuries 6

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
Hindenburg Disaster Passenger List | Airships.net. (Retrieved 2014, April 11) . Retrieved from http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/hindenburg-passenger-list/