Stokes Family Crest and Name History

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Stokes PDF Surname History


The Ancient History Of The Distinguished Surname Stokes

Stokes

Contents

Stokes history with Stokes Family Crest
Stokes Motto Translated
Suggested Readings for Stokes

Surname Notables

About Family Crests

Stokes Products

Origin Displayed: English

Where did the English Stokes family come from? What is the English coat of arms/family crest? When did the Stokes family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

The name Stokes reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Stokes family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stokes family lived in Pembrokeshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Stock, near Caen, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Stoke, Stokes, Stoaks, Stocks and others.

First found in Pembrokeshire where they held a family seat from early times.

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Stokes name or one of its variants: Christopher Stokes who settled in Virginia in 1624; Grace, and Eleanor Stokes settled in Boston in 1635; George Stokes settled in the Barbados in 1634.

Motto Translated: Innocent fortune.

For more information on the last name Stokes, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

Suggested Readings for the name Stokes

The Mills, Stokes, and Forrester Families of Primarily Greenville Co, S.C. by Lorene Burton Ambrose.
The Stokes Family of Pitt County, N.C. by Taney Brazeal.
The Andrews, Clapp, Stokes, Wright, Van Cleve Genealogies by Alfred S. Andrews.

Some noteworthy people of the name Stokes

Elizabeth Dilling Stokes (1894-1966), was a well-known American anti-communist and anti-war activist and writer in the 1930s and 1940s, which led to charges of "anti-Semitism" and "sedition" in the Great Sedition Trial of 1944
Shelly Stokes, American softball player
Donald Gresham Stokes (1914-2008), Baron Stokes, an English industrialist, former chairman of Leyland Motors Ltd
Sir George Gabriel Stokes (1819-1903), British physicist and mathematician
Sir Frederick Wilfrid Scott Stokes (1860-1927), British inventor and engineer
Carl Burton Stokes (b. 1927), U.S. politician: the first black mayor of a major U.S. city (Cleveland, Ohio)
Private James Stokes (1915-1945), British soldier awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII

Tell Me More About Family Crests

Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist

We have researched the Stokes family crest in the most recognized sources. Before an artist or craftsman can render a family crest, it must exist. In other words the crest must have been designed and recorded by the heralds from time immemorial.

Heraldic designs matriculated by the lay-artist in many cases becomes uninspired, meretricious and even ugly...

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Family Crests: Timeline

Many of the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient recorded family crest was discovered upon the monumental effigy of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at Ratisobon, Germany...

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Family Crests: Elements

In the Stokes coat of arms as in all coat of arms the crest is only one element of the full armorial achievement. Again the Family Crest is just part of the story of Coats of Arms or Heraldry. Heraldry is defined as the hereditary art or science of blazoning, the description is appropriate technical terms of Coats-of-Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia, and is of very ancient origin...

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Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

We encourage you to study the Stokes genealogy to find out if you descend from someone who bore a particular family crest. Anyone making a study of heraldry usually becomes interested in Genealogy or seeking legal claim to a particular family crest. No families, not even the royal houses, can make sound claim to the right to bear arms unless a proven connection is established through attested Genealogical records...

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Stokes Family Crest Products

Anniversary

Anniversary products for the name Stokes.

Apparel

Apparel emphasing the Stokes family crest.

Armorial histories

Armorial histories for the name Stokes.

Ceramics

Ceramics revealing the Stokes family crest.

Clip art

Clip art of all the most used heraldic pieces.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms for the name Stokes.

Downloads

Downloads featuring the Stokes family crest.

Family Crest

Family Crest for the name Stokes.

Family Tree

Family Tree proudly displaying the Stokes coat of arms.

Hand Painted Plaques

Hand Painted Plaques revealing the Stokes family crest.

Keychains

Keychains with the coat of arms for the name Stokes.

Mouse pads

Mouse pads displaying the family crest for the name Stokes.

New Products

New Products with a Stokes family crest.

Packages

Packages proudly displaying the Stokes coat of arms.

Plaques and Frames

Plaques and Frames showing the Stokes family crest.

Surname Histories

Surname Histories for the name Stokes.

Symbolism

Symbolism with the family crest for the name Stokes.

Travel Mugs

Travel Mugs proudly displaying the Stokes family crest.

Popular Products
	Armorial History With Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
	Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series - 300 DPI
	Key-chain
	Coffee Mug
	Armorial History with Frame
	Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms

The Stokes Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Stokes Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.