Show ContentsHavilok History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Havilok family

The surname Havilok was first found in Durham where they held a family seat on the English/Scottish border. "A well-known Danish personal name. Geoffrey Gaimar's metrical romance, called "Le Lai d'Havelok le Danois," records the valorous doings of a great Danish chieftain.

The family of the greatest hero of his age, the late Gen. Sir Henry Havelock, claimed to be of Danish extraction, having been, according to tradition, a scion of an ancient race descended from Guthrun, the historical Viking of the days of Alfred, and settled at Great Grimsby from his time! There is indeed a tradition that town was so named from a merchant called Grime, who obtained great wealth and honour in consequence of his having brought up an exposed child called Haveloc, who, after having been scullion in the king's kitchen, turned out to be a Danish prince. The curious corporate seal of the town seems to have some allusion to the circumstance, as it bears the names of ' Grym' and ' Habloc; ' and one of the boundary marks of the corporation is known as ' Haveloc's Stone.' " 1

"It has always been a rare surname in England, although now immortalized." 2

Early rolls listed Haveloc c. 1210 in Cornwall and William, Robert Havelok in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327. 3

After the Norman Conquest of England many of Duke William's rebellious Barons moved north. The border became a convenient no-man's land. Notable families such as the Percy, the Umfravilles and the Nevilles gathered many supporting clans around them. In the 16th century they became known as the 'unruly clans'. In that century, many of those clans drove their herds south, and they settled in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Early History of the Havilok family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Havilok research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1369 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Havilok History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Havilok Spelling Variations

The name Havilok, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Havelock, Havlock, Havilock, Havelocke, Havilok and many more.

Early Notables of the Havilok family

More information is included under the topic Early Havilok Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Havilok family

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Havilok family, or who bore a variation of the surname Havilok were the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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