Dunke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. The Dunke history starts with such a migration. As the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames refers either directly or indirectly to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, physical appearance, habits, or character, among other attributes. Flemish names of this type frequently feature the prefixes lile, which meant the. The surname Dunke is a nickname for a quarrelsome person. The surname Dunke is derived from the Old English word dunch, which means a push, a knock, or a bump.

Early Origins of the Dunke family

The surname Dunke was first found in Berkshire at Little Wittenham, a parish, in the union of Wallingford, hundred of Ock. "The church contains monuments to the Dunche family. Sinodun Hill, in the neighbourhood, is surrounded by an ancient intrenchment supposed to be British." 1

Early History of the Dunke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunke research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1508, 1551, 1593, 1597, 1602, 1611, 1621, 1623, 1630, 1639, 1653, 1654, 1657, 1659, 1660, 1668, 1678, 1679, 1680, 1711, 1718 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Dunke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunke Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Dunk, Dunch, Dunche, Dunke, Dunck and others.

Early Notables of the Dunke family

Prominent in the family at this time was William Dunk, Vicar of Sauton; William Dunch (1508-1597) was an English politician, Auditor of the Royal Mint for Kings Henry VIII and Edward IV; Sir Edmund Dunch (1551-1623), an English MP and High Sheriff; Samuel Dunch (1593-1668), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1621 and 1653; Sir William Dunch of Little Wittenham, Berkshire (d. 1611); Edmund Dunch (1602-1678), an English Member...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dunke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunke migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Dunke, or a variant listed above:

Dunke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Dunke, who settled in Philadelphia in 1739
Jacob Dunke, aged 38, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 2

Dunke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

R. Dunke, who settled in New York in 1822
A Cath Elise Dunke, who arrived in America in 1844 2

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)