Bangs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Bangs family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Bangs comes from when the family lived close to a slope, or a hillside. The surname is derived from the Old English word banke. 1

Early Origins of the Bangs family

The surname Bangs was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain. One of the first on record was Simon Bankes of Bank Newton in Craven, Yorkshire c. 1200. Walter del Banck was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1297 and Metthew Banke was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327. 1

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Nicholas del Bancke; Adam del Bank; and Magota de Bancke. 2

One branch of the family was found at Winstanley in Lancashire from early times. "In the reign of James I., the manor belonged to James Bancks, a descendant of the Bankes, of Bank Newton, in Craven; in whose family the property continued until about 1731, when, by marriage with the heiress of William Bankes, it passed to the family of Holme, who eventually changed their name to Bankes. Winstanley Hall, existing in the 16th century, is the seat of the Bankes family, and stands in a spacious and delightful park: it has been lately re-edified and improved." 3

Early History of the Bangs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bangs research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1410, 1560, 1580, 1586, 1588, 1589, 1590, 1598, 1600, 1606, 1627, 1631, 1637, 1644, 1659, 1668, 1677, 1696, 1699, 1743, 1768, 1784, 1820 and 1973 are included under the topic Early Bangs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bangs Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bangs has appeared include Banke, Banck, Bancks, Banckes, Banks, Bankes and others.

Early Notables of the Bangs family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society; William Bankes, High Sheriff of Lancaster, 1784; Sir John Bankes (1589-1644), Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas to Charles I, who held a family seat at Corfe Castle in Dorset; Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet FRS (1627-1699), an English merchant and politician, one of the wealthiest merchants in London, Fellow of the Royal Society in 1668; and his son, Caleb Banks (1659-1696), an English politician; and Sir Ralph Bankes (1631-1677), MP for Corfe, responsible for the building of the new family seat at Kingston Lacy.Richard Banke...
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bangs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bangs Ranking

In the United States, the name Bangs is the 9,162^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Bangs migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bangs arrived in North America very early:

Bangs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Bangs, from Essex, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 5
Mrs. Lydia Bangs who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 5
Mr. Jonathan Bangs who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 5
John Bangs, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 5

Bangs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Catharina Bangs, who arrived in America in 1739 5
Jacob Bangs, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 5

Bangs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles E Bangs, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bangs (post 1700) +

Outram Bangs (1863-1932), American zoologist, Curator of Mammals at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology in 1900
Tracy R. Bangs (1862-1936), American Democratic Party politician, Grand Forks County State's Attorney, 1892; U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, 1894-98 6
Mark Bangs, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1868; Member of Illinois State Senate 16th District, 1871-73; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, 1875-79 6
John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Yonkers, New York, 1894; Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1921 6
George A. Bangs (1915-1995), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Dakota, 1952, 1956; Candidate for U.S. Representative from South Dakota 2nd District, 1952 6
Frank D. Bangs (1878-1935), American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 45th District, 1935; Died in office 1935 6
Francis Burnett Bangs (1819-1891), American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Michigan House of Representatives 6
C. W. H. Bangs, American politician, Mayor of Huntington, Indiana, 1937 6
Benton Bangs, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Washington, 1956 6
Alfred Walstein Bangs (1830-1904), American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate 39th District, 1889-90 6

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html