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The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Foker family name to the British Isles. Foker comes from the Germanic personal name Fulcher. It is composed of the elements folk, which means people, and hari, which means army.
The surname Foker was first found in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire where they were granted lands about the time of William the Conqueror. Historically, the Fulchers were known as the Champions of Burgundy and records were found of the name spelt Fulchere in Normandy (1180-1195). 1 The name could have also been derived from the Ango-Saxon word "folgere", in other words a follower, an attendant, a free-man who did not have a house of his own. 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foker research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1272, 1273, 1284, 1307, 1379, 1617, 1690, 1737, 1795, 1803, 1830, 1855 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Foker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Fulcher, Fulger, Fulker, Fucher, Fullager, Folker, Foucar, Foulger, Futcher, Folger, Fugler, Fuche, Fuge, Fuidge, Fudge, Foutch and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Walter Fulcher of Lincolnshire, Thomas Fulcher (1737-1803), a British architect, George Williams Fulcher (1795-1855), a well-known poet, and John...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Foker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Foker or a variant listed above: