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Spinks History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Spinks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Spinks is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Spinks was a name used for a person who because his physical characteristics was referred to as the spink, which literally means the finch. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal. In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demigods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans.

Early Origins of the Spinks family

The surname Spinks was first found in Northampton where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Spinks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spinks research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1418, 1419, 1653, 1713 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Spinks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spinks Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Spinks include Spink, Spinks, Spinkes, Spink and others.

Early Notables of the Spinks family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Nathaniel Spinckes (1653-1727), English nonjuror, born in 1653 at Castor in Northamptonshire, where his father, Edmund Spinckes, was rector of the parish. "Spinckes' high character and varied learning gave him a leading position among the...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spinks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spinks Ranking

In the United States, the name Spinks is the 4,260^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]

Spinks migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Spinks were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Spinks Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Spinks, who settled in New England in 1772

Spinks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Spinks, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 [2]
James Spinks, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 [2]

Spinks migration to Australia +

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

Spinks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Jane Spinks, British Convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 14 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [3]
Mr. William Spinks, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]
Mr. Abraham Spinks, English convict who was convicted in Ely (Isle of Ely), Cambridgeshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [5]
Mr. Robert Spinks, (b. 1823), aged 19, English farm labourer who was convicted in Norfolk, England for life, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1844 [6]
Mr. James Spinks, English convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Spinks 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:

Spinks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Spinks, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843 aboard the ship Ursula
George Spinks, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
Bridget Spinks, aged 23, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
William Spinks, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Mr. Samuel Spinks, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Spinks (post 1700) +

Leon Spinks (1953-2021), American boxer who won the Olympic gold medal in the Light Heavyweight division during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal
Ford Belmont Spinks Sr. (1927-2016), American politician, Member of the Georgia State Senate (1962-1971)
Darrell Spinks (b. 1973), American former professional boxer
John Robert "Jack" Spinks (1930-1994), American football fullback who played from 1952 to 1957
Joseph "Joe" Spinks (b. 1972), American retired basketball player and coach
Thomas Allen "Tommy" Spinks (1948-2007), American football wide receiver for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs from 1966 to 1969
Cory Spinks (b. 1978), American professional boxer, son of Leon Spinks
Michael Spinks (b. 1956), American retired boxer, Olympic gold medalist and world champion in the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
Scipio Spinks (b. 1947), American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from 1969 to 1973
William Alexander Spinks Jr. (1865-1933), American professional player of carom billiards
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Spinks family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. J Spinks, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking [9]

The Spinks 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: Fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful.

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html