Show ContentsEllerker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • England
Ellerker Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Early Origins and Etymology of Ellerker

The surname Ellerker was first found in Yorkshire in the East Riding at Ellerker, a village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Alrecher and literally meant "marsh where alders grow" from the Old Scandinavian words elri + kjarr. 1

At the time of the Domesday Book, the village was quite small with about 5 households holding about 39 villagers. The land was held at that time by Earl Morcar who was tenant in chief of the Bishop of Durham St Cuthbert. 2

The first record of the family found in ancient rolls was that of Denis de Elreker, who was listed in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1204. 3 John de Ellerker, taillour was a Freemen of York, 8 Edward III (during the eighth year of King Edward III's reign.) 4

Early History of the Ellerker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellerker research. Another 217 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1512, 1522, 1527, 1529, 1540, 1546, 1593, 1670, 1678 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Ellerker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellerker Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Ellerker are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Ellerker include Ellerker, Elerker, Ellerkar, Ellarker, Elarker, Ellercker, Elercker, Ellicker, Elicker, Ellickar, Elliker, Hellerker, Helliker, Elliker and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellerker family

  • Sir William Ellerker, Sheriff of Northumberland
  • Sir Ralph Ellerker of Risby, Yorkshire
  • his eldest son, Sir Ralph Ellerker (died 1546), an English soldier, knight and politician, High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1529. "Both father and son were knighted by the Earl of Surrey at Flodden Field...

Migration of the Ellerker family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Ellerker, or a variant listed above: Kaspar Elliker, who arrived in America sometime between 1739 and 1744; Anna Elliker, who settled in Carolina in 1743; Caspar Elliker, who came to Carolina in 1743.

Contemporary Notables of the name Ellerker (post 1700) +

  • Wendy Ellerker, American author
  • William Henry Ellerker (d. 1891), English-born, Australian architect and politician in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Mayor of St Kilda
  • Thomas Ellerker (1738-1795), English Jesuit, born at Hart, near Hartlepool, Durham, on 21 Sept. 1738 5
  • Edward Ellerker Williams (1793-1822), British army officer who became a friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley in the final months of his life and died with him
  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020

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