Volker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient and distinguished German surname Volker is derived from the Germanic personal name "Volkher," which is composed of the elements "volk," meaning "people," and "her," meaning "army." The name was popular during the early Middle Ages due to the famous Austrian epic poem "Nibelungenlied," which featured a character called "Volker the Fiddler." Both the surname and the given name could be found in many areas of Germany under a number of spelling variations.
Early Origins of the Volker family
The surname Volker was first found in the south, near the border of Austria, where the fame of the "Niebelungenlied" first reached Germany. The first recorded bearer of the surname was Conrad filius ("son of") Volkardi, who was living near Tuttlingen, Swabia in 1280. The young Volker family played a major role in the early history of the region, and contributed greatly to the development of medieval German society.
Early History of the Volker family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Volker research. Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1331, 1383, 1434, 1626, 1677, 1761, 1767 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Volker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Volker Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Volker, Voelker, Völker, Volkert, Folkart, Foutch, Folk, Volk, Folkerth, Fulchard, Volhard, Volchert, Folgert, Vollert and many more.
Early Notables of the Volker family
Prominent among members of the name Volker in this period include
- Caspar Volker (c.1434), a German bellmaker, Daniel Volkert (1677-1761), a Bavarian sculptor, and Franz Volkert (1767-1845), a famous composer
Volker Ranking
In the United States, the name Volker is the 16,685th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Volker migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Volker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Valentin Volker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 2
Volker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Joseph Volker, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 2
- Johann Georg Volker, who arrived in America in 1832 2
- Nicolas Volker, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 2
- Joh Bern Heinr Volker, who arrived in West Indies in 1833 2
- Adam Volker, who arrived in Baltimore in 1834
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Volker migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Volker Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Andrew Volker, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1751
Contemporary Notables of the name Volker (post 1700) +
- Sanford Volker, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 87th District, 1964, 1966 3
- Julius J. Volker, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly, 1945-66 (Erie County 7th District 1945-65, 162nd District 1966); Defeated, 1966 3
- Dale M. Volker, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly 148th District, 1973-74; Member of New York State Senate, 1975-91 3
- Sandra Völker (b. 1974), German freestyle and backstroke swimmer
- Volker Losemann (b. 1942), German historian who became known for his research on the history of his field
- Volker Spengler (1939-2020), German stage and film actor
- Volker David Kirchner (1942-2020), German composer and violist, recipient of the Rheingau Musikpreis, Peter Cornelius Plaque and the Kunstpreis Rheinland-Pfalz
- Volker Koepp (b. 1944), German documentary film producer
- Volker Hinkel (b. 1965), German guitarist and pianist, member of Fools Garden, a German musical group formed in 1991
- Volker Schellbach, German cinematographer
Historic Events for the Volker family +
Bismarck
- Wilhelm Völker (1916-1941), German Bootsmannsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 4
- Kurt Völker (1923-1941), German Matrose II who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 4
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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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