Contents [hide]

Alcock History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Alcock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Alcock name is an important part of the history of the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Alcock is derived from the pet form of the name Allicock. Alternatively, the name could have derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Allen.' 1

Early Origins of the Alcock family

The surname Alcock was first found in Derbyshire and Cambridgeshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Alcok de Stonys and John Alcoc, respectively.

The Yorkshire Polls Tax Rolls of 1379 had listings with a variety of early spellings: Johannes Alcokson; Alcocus de Stublay; and Willelmus Alcok. 1

Over in Norfolk, Henry Alycock was Rector of Colney in 1481 and the same source notes "in 1493, Thomas Alicok gave 10 marks to buy a cope." 2

Scotland has some early records of the name too as William Alkok was listed as a witness in Aberdeen in 1281. 3

Early History of the Alcock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alcock research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1399, 1430, 1449, 1461, 1472, 1473, 1486, 1500, 1715, 1738, 1742 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Alcock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alcock Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Alcock were recorded, including Alcoc, Alecock, Alecocke, Allcock, Allcoke, Allcok, Allcoe and many more.

Early Notables of the Alcock family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Alcock (c. 1430-1500), an English churchman, Master of the Rolls in 1461, Bishop of Rochester in 1472, 1st President of the Council of the Marches in Wales (1473 to 1500.) 4
John Alcock, born at London, April 11, 1715, "became at seven years of age a chorister of St. Paul's Cathedral under Charles King. At fourteen he became a pupil of Stanley, the blind organist, who was...

Alcock Ranking

In the United States, the name Alcock is the 16,267^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Alcock is ranked the 767^th most popular surname with an estimated 55 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Alcock family to Ireland

Some of the Alcock family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alcock migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Alcock family emigrate to North America:

Alcock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Alcock of the "Mayflower" landings in 1620
Thomas Alcock, English settler from Cambridge, who sailed aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet and settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 7
George Alcock, English settler from Cambridge, who sailed aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet and settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 8
Mrs. Alcock, English settler from Cambridge, who sailed aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet and settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 8
Thomas Alcock, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1631 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Alcock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Alcock who settled in Maine in the same year
Robert Alcock, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1825 7
Georgia Alcock, who arrived in Maryland in 1838 7
Richard Alcock, who landed in Virginia in 1857 7
Thomas Alcock, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County,Pennsylvania in 1869 7

Alcock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Alcock Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mansfield Alcock at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1801
Robert Alcock at Leading Tickles, Newfoundland in 1853 9

Alcock migration to Australia +

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

Alcock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Alcock, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 12th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Joseph Alcock, English convict who was convicted in Stamford (Lindsey), Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Job Alcock (Hill), British Convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. Thomas Alcock, English convict who was convicted in Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Edward Alcock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Alcock 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:

Alcock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Alcock, (b. 1850), aged 24, English general labourer from Staffordshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 15
Mrs. Fanny Alcock, (b. 1852), aged 22, English settler from Staffordshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 15
Miss Annie Alcock, (b. 1873), aged 1, English settler from Staffordshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 15

Alcock 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. 16

Alcock Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

William Alcock, who arrived in Jamaica in 1743 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Alcock (post 1700) +

Charles Roger Alcock (b. 1951), American astrophysicist
William J. Alcock (b. 1861), American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Huelva, 1901-11 17
Robert Alcock, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 8th District, 1804-08; Presidential Elector for New Hampshire, 1804 17
Paul E. Alcock (1953-2018), English football referee, active from 1982 to 2002
Sir Walter Galpin Alcock (1861-1947), eminent English musician, played at the Coronations of King Edward VII, King George V and King George VI, organist to Salisbury Cathedral from 1916 to 1947
Sir John William Alcock KBE, DSC (1892-1919), English aviator who piloted the first non-stop transatlantic flight from St. John's, Newfoundland to Clifden, Connemara, Ireland
Mr. Richard James Frank Alcock C.B.E., British Chief Operating Officer for Office for Security and Counter Terrorism for the Home Office was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 17th June 2017, for services to National Security
Nathan Alcock (1707-1779), British physician
Leslie Alcock (1925-2006), British archaeologist
George Eric Deacon Alcock MBE (1912-2000), British astronomer
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Alcock Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vigilate
Motto Translation: Watch

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)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
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)
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/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 28th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHEOBE/PHOEBE 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Phoebe.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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html