Show ContentsJunk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished German surname Junk is derived from the Middle High German word "juncherre," meaning "a young noble, not yet knighted." This term was often applied to a young man serving at court who would soon be knighted, and it is likely that the term evolved from nickname to surname, and was then passed down along a family line.

Early Origins of the Junk family

The surname Junk was first found in various regions of Germany, and several branches emerged independently during the Middle Ages. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Burchardt Junker, listed in the Furstenbergisches Urkundenbuch in 1295. The young Junk family was instrumental during this early period, playing an important role in the development of medieval society.

Early History of the Junk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Junk research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1295, 1373 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Junk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Junk Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Junker, Junkher, Juncker, Junkers, Junckherre and others.

Early Notables of the Junk family

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


United States Junk migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Junk Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Junk, who arrived in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1685 1
Junk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Philip Junk, aged 30, who arrived in Missouri in 1846 1
  • August Junk, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 1
  • Mathias Junk, who landed in America in 1856 1
  • Mr. Joseph Junk, aged 30, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Westernland" 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Junk (post 1700) +

  • Janson Randall Junk (b. 1996), American professional baseball pitcher
  • Edwin Junk Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Washington County, 1956 3
  • Beth Junk, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 2004 3
  • Sebastian Junk (b. 1983), German Paralympic judoka, participated in five paralympic games, bronze medal winner in the 2004 Summer Paralympics
  • Wilhelm Junk (1866-1942), noted Czech antiquarian bookseller, born as Jeitteles
  • Bruno Junk (1929-1995), Estonian race walker, Bronze medal winner in 1952 and 1956


  1. 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)
  2. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2045
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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