Show ContentsDocking History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Docking Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Docking

What does the name Docking mean?

It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Docking was formed. The name was derived from the personal name David. Daw was a common diminutive of David in the Middle Ages. 1 2

The surname is a compound of daw and kin, and literally means "the kin of David." Over time there were changes in pronunciation and spelling, leading to many different variants of the name.

Early Origins of the Docking family

The surname Docking was first found in Norfolk at Docking, but strong evidence points to another possible origin of the family. "In the charter of endowment of Eton College, mention is made of the alien priory of Dokkyng, the monks whereof are supposed by Tanner to have belonged to the Abbey de Ibreio, in Normandy, to which this church was formerly appropriated. " 3

Continuing this possible origin, we found Thomas of Docking (fl. 1250), a "Franciscan, is stated in the Royal MS. 3 B. xii. in the British Museum to have been really named 'Thomas Gude, i.e. Bonus,' but called 'Dochyng' from the place of his birth (Casley, Catalogue of the Manuscripts of the King's Library, p. 43, London, 1734), evidently the village of Docking in the north of the county of Norfolk. The same manuscript describes him as doctor of divinity at Oxford." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 an early Latin entry for the family: Daykenus (without surname), in County Rutland. 5 A few years later, Daykin de Wich was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1290 and later again, Richard Deykin was recorded in Shropshire in 1344. 6

In Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had the following entries: Dakyn de Idsford; Johannes Dawkyn; and Henricus Daykyn. The latter entry was dated 1370. 5

"The Dakins of Buxton and the Daykins of Alfreton possess an ancient Derbyshire name. The family of Dakeny or De Akeny followed William the Conqueror into England, and in the 13th century they were settled in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Bedfordshire, where they held possessions; in the 15th century they were established in Herts, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire; and in Derbyshire the Dakins owned lands in Chelmorton, Fairfield, and Wollow in the reign of Edward IV. " 7

Early History of the Docking family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Docking research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1547, 1607, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1691, 1698, 1722, 1744, 1757, 1793 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Docking History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Docking 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 Docking include Dakin, Dakins, Dakyn, Daykin, Daykins, Daken, Deakin, Daikins, Daikyns, Daikin, Dayken, Daiken, Deakyn, Deake, Deaken and many more.

Early Notables of the Docking family

Rowland Dawkins (died 1691), a Welsh military colonel and politician, Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire (1654-1656.) William Dakins (d. 1607), was an English divine, conjectured to have been the son of William Dakins, M.A., vicar of Ashwell, Hertfordshire. 4 James Dawkins (1722-1757), descended from Henry Dawkins I (1698-1744), a Jamaican wealthy...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Docking Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Docking 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 Docking were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Docking Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Frederick Docking, (b. 1870), aged 34, Cornish tailor travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th August 1904 en route to Providence, Rhode Island, USA 8

Docking migration to Australia +

Docking Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • George Docking, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Caucasian" 9
  • Thomas Docking, aged 23, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Rodney" 10

Docking 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:

Docking Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. W. Docking, Australian settler travelling from Melbourne, Victoria aboard the ship "Dunedin" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 11
  • Dr. Docking, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th October 1870 12
  • Miss Ellen Docking, (b. 1856), aged 17, Cornish servant departing on 19th May 1873 aboard the ship "Columbus" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 2nd September 1873 13
  • Miss Minnie Docking, (b. 1858), aged 15, Cornish servant departing on 19th May 1873 aboard the ship "Columbus" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 2nd September 1873 13
  • Mr. Thomas Docking, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand on 2nd January 1881, en-route to Auckland, New Zealand 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Docking (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Robert Docking (1954-2017), American Democratic Party politician, 41st Lieutenant Governor of Kansas (1983-1987) 14
  • Virginia Docking, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1972 15
  • Robert Blackwell Docking (1925-1983), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Arkansas City, Kansas, 1965; Governor of Kansas, 1967-75; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1972 15
  • Jill Docking, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas, 1996; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 2004 15
  • George Docking (1904-1964), American Democratic Party politician, Governor of Kansas, 1957-61; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1960 15
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  9. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BARQUE CAUCASIAN 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caucasian1852.shtml
  10. South Australian Register Wednesday 21st February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Rodney 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/rodney1855.shtml
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  14. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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