Contents [hide]

Wilks History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Wilks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Wilks surname finds its earliest origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name is derived from a medieval given name, a short form of William. 1

Wilks is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, while others came from the personal names of famous religious and secular figures. In this case, the surname was originally derived from the popular medieval surname William, which became even more popular after the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066, led by William the Conqueror.

Early Origins of the Wilks family

The surname Wilks was first found in Lancashire where as a forename Wylke de Chyrchele was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1246. Later the mononym, Wilke was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1286. The Hundredorum Rolls for Bedfordshire included an entry for Roger Wylk in 1279 and later, John Wilkys was registered in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 2

Early History of the Wilks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilks research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1529, 1535, 1545, 1548, 1551, 1553, 1556, 1564, 1570, 1580, 1598, 1600, 1641, 1665, 1666, 1690, 1691, 1732, 1740 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Wilks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilks Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Wilks are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Wilks include: Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks and others.

Early Notables of the Wilks family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Robert Wilks (c. 1665-1732), was a British actor and theatrical manager of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He was a "descendant of a Worcester family, the fortunes of which were seriously impaired by the c...

Wilks Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilks is the 2,802^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3

Wilks migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Wilks or a variant listed above:

Wilks Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Wilks, who arrived in Virginia in 1648 4
Thomas Wilks, who landed in Virginia in 1695 4

Wilks Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Wilks, aged 24, who arrived in Maryland in 1776 4
Joseph Wilks, who arrived in New York in 1785 4

Wilks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Geroge Wilks, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
William B Wilks, who arrived in Texas in 1830 4
Janes Wilks, aged 19, who landed in New York in 1864 4
Jacob Wilks, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 4

Wilks migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilks Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Wilks, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Wilks migration to Australia +

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

Wilks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Wilks, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Stephen Wilks, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Charles Wilks, (b. 1835), aged 8, British labourer who was convicted in Cardigan, Wales for 10 years for theft of a horse, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. William Wilks, (b. 1834), aged 15, English gunsmithDarlaston, England, UK departing from Plymouth on 10th October 1848 aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" arriving in Port Phillip, Cornwall, UK on 15th January 1849 8
Thomas Wilks, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Glen Huntley" in 1849 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wilks migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wilks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Wilks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stately" in 1851
Mr. James Wilks, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 10
Miss Louisa Anne Wilks, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 10
Miss Wilks, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 10
Daniel Wilks, aged 43, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wilks migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 11

Wilks Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Wilks, (b. 1612), aged 22, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilks (post 1700) +

Samuel Stanley Wilks (1906-1964), American mathematician and academic
Michael Sharod Wilks Jr. (b. 1979), American professional basketball player
Ted Wilks (b. 1915), American Major League Baseball player
Samuel Charles Wilks (1789-1872), English evangelical divine, the son of Samuel Wilks of Newington, Surrey, his family entered the service of the East India Company and rose high in the confidence of the directors 12
Mark Wilks (1760-1831), British Lieutenant-Colonel in the Madras army, native of the Isle of Man 12
Clement Wilks (1819-1871), Australian civil engineer and architect
William Henry Wilks (1863-1940), Australian politician
The Reverend William Wilks (1843-1923), British horticulturalist and clergyman
Sir Samuel Wilks (1824-1911), British physician and biographer
Suzie Wilks (b. 1971), Australian TV lifestyle presenter
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wilks family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Norman Wilks, British Electrical Artificer aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 13

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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 Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The GLEN HUNTLEY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849GlenHuntly.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 4 Feb. 2019
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html