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![Show Contents]() Wilke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Wilke was formed. The name was derived from a medieval given name, a short form of William. 1 Wilke is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, while others came from the personal names of famous religious and secular figures. In this case, the surname was originally derived from the popular medieval surname William, which became even more popular after the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066, led by William the Conqueror. Early Origins of the Wilke familyThe surname Wilke was first found in Lancashire where as a forename Wylke de Chyrchele was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1246. Later the mononym, Wilke was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1286. The Hundredorum Rolls for Bedfordshire included an entry for Roger Wylk in 1279 and later, John Wilkys was registered in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 2 Early History of the Wilke familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilke research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1529, 1535, 1545, 1548, 1551, 1553, 1556, 1564, 1570, 1580, 1598, 1600, 1641, 1665, 1666, 1690, 1691, 1732, 1740 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Wilke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Wilke Spelling VariationsUntil 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 Wilke include Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks and others. Early Notables of the Wilke familyNotables of this surname at this time include: - Israel Wilkes, a 17th century citizen and distiller of London, father of the politician John Wilkes
- Sir Thomas Wilkes (1545?-1598), was an English diplomatist, born about 1545, and is said to have been a native of Sussex. "The Oxford registers do not supply his father's name, and the family occurs i...
- Richard Wilkes (1691-1760), was an English antiquary and physician, born at Willenhall in Staffordshire on 16 March 1690, the eldest son of Richard Wilkes (1666-1740) of Willenhall. 3
Wilke RankingIn the United States, the name Wilke is the 4,296th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4
 Wilke 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 Wilke were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Wilke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Rudolph Wilke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 5
Wilke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Franz Adolph Wilke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1800 5
- Bernh Heinr Wilke, who landed in America in 1838 5
- Heinrich Wilke, who landed in America in 1839 5
- Karoline Friderike Wilke, aged 36, who arrived in America in 1843 5
- Herman Wilke, who landed in Texas in 1844 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wilke Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Amelia Wilke, who settled in Montana in 1910
- Adam Edward Wilke, who arrived in North Dakota in 1917
| Wilke migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Wilke Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century- Thomas Wilke, who arrived in Canada in 1905
| Wilke 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: Wilke Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. David Wilke, (b. 1956), aged 20, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 6
| Contemporary Notables of the name Wilke (post 1700) | + |
- Robert J. Wilke (1914-1989), American Golden Boot Award winning film and television actor who appeared in 299 titles, known primarily for his roles as villains in Westerns
- Julius August Robert Wilke (1860-1914), American sailor during the Spanish–American War who received the Medal of Honor
- Hannah Wilke (1940-1993), born Arlene Hannah Butter, an American painter, sculptor, photographer and video artist
- Rudolf Wilke (1873-1908), German caricaturist and illustrator
- Birthe Wilke (b. 1936), popular Danish singer of the 1950s
- Christian Gottlob Wilke (1786-1854), German theologian
- Kristof Wilke (b. 1985), German four-time gold and two-time silver medalist rower
| Historic Events for the Wilke family | + |
Bismarck - Oskar Wilke (1915-1941), German Feuerwerksmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 7
- Erich Wilke (1915-1941), German Bootsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 7
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
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Wilke migration to the United States 
Wilke migration to Canada 
Wilke migration to New Zealand 
England
Germany
