Inker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The roots of the Inker family name are in ancient Scotland with the Viking settlers. Inker was derived from Ingsgar, a Viking Chieftain who settled in the Shetland Islands in the 9th century.

Early Origins of the Inker family

The surname Inker was first found in Orkney and the Shetlands, where some of the first records of the family include: "William Inkseter, tacksman of Skelbustir, and Huchown Inksettir, tacksman of Gryndale, on record in 1492." 1

Later, Magnus Ingsitter (Ingseter, or Inkster) appears as bailie-depute of Orphir between 1570 and 1584, and Edward Ingsetter or Inksetter was a witness in 1589 and 1600. Duncane Inksetter in the parish of Brassay is recorded in 1576. 1

One source notes that the family could be from "Ingestre; a location name in Staffordshire." 2 And digging further into this possibility, we found Ingestrie, or Ingestrk is a small parish in the S. division of the hundred of Pirehill, union, and N. division of the county. "Ingestre Hall, the seat of Earl Talbot, was partly built in the reign of Edward III.; the principal part is more modern, and in the style of architecture prevailing in the reign of Elizabeth. " 3

Early History of the Inker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Inker research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1619 and 1648 are included under the topic Early Inker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Inker Spelling Variations

Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name Inker include Inkster, Inghster, Inkstar, Ingster, Ingstar and others.

Early Notables of the Inker family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Inker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Inker family

In North America, the monarchy was thousands of miles away and Scots were free to settle on their own land and practice their own beliefs. The American War of Independence provided an opportunity for these settlers to pay back the English monarchy and forge a new nation. Recently, this heritage has survived through North American highland games and Clan societies. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Inker or a variant listed above: John Inster (1799-1830) who arrived in 1774 and settled in Rupert's Land. He was a Stonemason with the Hudson's Bay Co. and was later a farmer and merchant. James Inkster who arrived in c.1830 and settled in Red River, Manitoba. was a Blacksmith and another early employee of HBCo. George T. Inkster (1848-1901) was a Canadian-born American pioneer in the Red River Valley of present day North Dakota, eponym of Inkster, ND..

Historic Events for the Inker family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Edward E Inker, British Ordnance Coder, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 4

Citations +

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)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html