Show ContentsWalkes Surname History

Early Origins of the Walkes family

The surname Walkes was first found in Dumfriesshire, where they held a family seat in Wauchopedale from about the year 1150. Robert de Wauchope was one of twelve knights who negotiated the law of the border territories in 1249.

The abbreviation of Waugh created a separate branch of the Clan, and David Waugh of Lanarkshire, Robert Waugh of Heap, rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. This latter person may have been the same as Robert de Wauchope who also rendered homage for the Wauchopes. 1

"The border name of Waugh is an abbreviation of Wau-chope, the Waughs are sprung from the Wauchopes and have the same arms." 1

Later some of the family we found across the border in England, where Willelmus Wahh was registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

"The Waughs, who are now established in England in the counties of Northumberland and Durham, probably hail originally from the Waughs of the Scottish border counties, where the name still has its home, especially in Roxburghshire and Dumfriesshire. The Waughs of Heip, in Roxburghshire, held those lands from the 13th to the 17th century." 3

Early History of the Walkes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walkes research. Another 227 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1436, 1445, 1448, 1467, 1500, 1521, 1526, 1536, 1539, 1543, 1551, 1565, 1585, 1587, 1589, 1590, 1597, 1598, 1633, 1649, 1656, 1664, 1672, 1682, 1723, 1734, 1751, 1754, 1766, 1770, 1783, 1810, 1827, 1829, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Walkes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walkes Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Waugh, Wauchope, Waughe, Walge, Wach, Walcht and others.

Early Notables of the Walkes family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Wauchope (c. 1500-1551), Scottish cleric, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh from 1539 to 1551; John Waugh (1656-1734), an English clergyman, Bishop of Carlisle from 1723; and his son, John Waugh who became Dean of Worcester in 1751. Sir John Wauchope (d. 1682), of Niddrie, was a Scottish covenanter, descended from the old family of Wauchope of Wauchope in Dumfriesshire, who became proprietors of the lands of Culter, Aberdeenshire, and from the thirteenth century were hereditary baillies in Mid Lothian to the Keith Marischal of Scotland, afterwards Earl Marischal, from whom they obtained the...
Another 144 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walkes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Walkes family to Ireland

Some of the Walkes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 215 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Walkes family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Mathew Waugh, a soldier, settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1837; John Wauchope settled in Philadelphia in 1825; Dorothy Waugh settled in New England in 1656.


Contemporary Notables of the name Walkes (post 1700) +

  • Anton Charles Walkes (1997-2023), English professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder; he died on 19 January 2023, at the age of 25 following a boat crash in Miami


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


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