Contents [hide]

Weekes History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Weekes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Weekes is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Weekes family lived in Sussex. The name, however, derives from the Old English word wic, which describes someone who lives at an outlying settlement.

Early Origins of the Weekes family

The surname Weekes was first found in Surrey at Wyke, a tything, in the parish of Worplesdon, union of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Woking. "This place is mentioned in Domesday Book under the name of Wucha, and at an early period was held by a family called De Wyke." 1

Another branch of the family was found at Yatton in Somerset. "The greater portion of [the church of Yatton] appears to have been rebuilt in the 15th century, by the Wyck family, to one of whom is a monument bearing his effigy, in the north transept." 1

Thomas de Wykes (fl. 1258-1293), the English chronicler, took the habit of a canon regular at Osney Abbey, near Oxford, on 14 April 1282. "He mentions in his chronicle various namesakes and probable kinsfolk, including Robert de Wykes (d. 1246), Edith de Wyke (d. 1269), and John de Wykes, who in 1283 took a 'votum profectionis'. The name is a fairly common one, both as a personal and a place name, so that it is highly unsafe to identify him with other bearers of the same name, such as Thomas de Wyke, priest, who before 1249 wished to become a Franciscan friar." 2

Early History of the Weekes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weekes research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1222, 1293, 1430, 1554, 1593, 1621, 1627, 1628, 1632, 1641, 1643, 1683, 1684, 1699, 1703 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Weekes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weekes Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Weekes has been recorded under many different variations, including Weekes, Weeks, Wikes, Wykes, Wyke, Wix, Wicks, Weykes and many more.

Early Notables of the Weekes family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Wykes (1222-c.1293), English chronicler, a canon regular of Oseney Abbey, near Oxford; Thomas Wykes (died c.1430), Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire; Thomas Wykes (fl. 1554), of Moreton Jeffries, Herefordshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Leominster in November 1554; Richard Wyche (or Wiche) (1554-1621), a...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weekes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weekes Ranking

In the United States, the name Weekes is the 15,621^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Weekes migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Weekess were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Weekes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Weekes, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1635 4
George Weekes, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1635 4
Anna Weekes, aged 1, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell" 4
Mrs. Marie Weekes, aged 28, who settled in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell" 4
Mr. Jo Weekes, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Primrose" in 1635 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weekes 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:

Weekes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Dr. Weekes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Kenilworth" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 2nd May 1857 6
Mrs. Weekes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Kenilworth" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 2nd May 1857 6
Mr. Francis Weekes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Kenilworth" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 2nd May 1857 6
Mr. Weekes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 7
Mrs. Weekes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weekes migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Weekes Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Weekes, aged 26, who settled in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell"
Mr. Thomas Weekes, (b. 1612), aged 23, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Weekes (post 1700) +

James Weekes (b. 1911), American sailor and Olympic champion
Marie Weekes, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Nebraska 3rd District, 1920 10
John A. Weekes Jr., American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 25th District, 1898, 1900-02 10
B. P. Weekes, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1936 10
Augustus W. Weekes (1850-1916), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Kent County 2nd District, 1893-96; Member of Michigan State Senate 17th District, 1901-04 10
Henry Weekes RA (1807-1877), English sculptor, born at Canterbury; he held a studio in Buckingham Palace Road where he executed the statues of Sir Francis Bacon, for Trinity College, Cambridge; Lord Auckland, for Calcutta; Dr. Goodall, for Eton; John Hunter, for the Royal College of Surgeons and many more 11
William Weekes Fowler (1849-1923), English clergyman and entomologist
Paul Nicholas Weekes (b. 1969), English cricketer
Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes KCMG, GCM, OBE (1925-2020), Barbadian cricketer who played in 48 Test matches for the West Indies cricket team from 1948 to 1958
William Weekes (d. 1806), Irish-born Canadian lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Weekes family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Albert James Weekes, British Boy, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 12

The Weekes 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: Cari Deo nihilo carent
Motto Translation: Those dear to God want nothing.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html