Show ContentsFalcke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The prestigious family surname Falcke originated in the territory that eventually became the German state of Prussia. The name comes from the Middle High German word "valke," meaning "falcon," and as such, the surname was likely originally a nickname or an occupational name.

Early Origins of the Falcke family

The surname Falcke was first found in Brandenburg, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The name emerged as a noble family with great influence, possessing extensive estates such as the castle Neuhaus and Thyrow in the region of Teltow as early as 1359, and became noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs. They also held property in Saxony, near the city of Wittenburg, as well as the state Luemzow in the region of Neu-Stettin (Pomerania) in 1583.

Early History of the Falcke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Falcke research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1555, 1614, 1768, 1786, 1823, 1826, 1827, 1832, 1876 and 1900 are included under the topic Early Falcke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Falcke Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Falcke include Falk, Falcke, Valke, Falke, Falken and others.

Early Notables of the Falcke family

Notable figures of the time with the name Falcke were Joshua ben Alexander HaCohen Falk (1555-1614), a Polish Halakhist and Talmudist, author of the Beit Yisrael commentary on the Arba'ah Turim; Johann Daniel Falk (1768-1826), who was a Danzig-born...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Falcke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Falcke migration to the United States +

The state of Prussia was a great influence on the shape of modern Germany. After the Second World War, Prussia's land was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany and the state was abolished. Some Prussians remained in those countries after the war, while many others migrated to North America in search of a new start. Philadelphia was their primary point of entry to the United States, after which many of them moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. A large number of Prussians also migrated to Ontario and the prairie provinces as United Empire Loyalists. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Falckes to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Falcke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mans Josephson Falcke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1649 1
Falcke Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Emil Falcke, aged 36, originally from Dresden, Germany, arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "President Grant" from Hamburg, Germany 2
  • Alice A Falcke, aged 38, originally from Green Cottage, England, arrived in New York in 1915 aboard the ship "Rotterdam" from Falmouth, England 2
  • Florence Falcke, aged 30, originally from Seacombe, England, arrived in New York, New York in 1917 aboard the ship "Philadelphia" from Liverpool, England 2
  • Paul S. Herst Falcke, aged 60, originally from Berlin, Germany, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Frederik VIII" from Copenhagen, Denmark 2
  • Theodor Falcke, aged 28, originally from Dresden, Germany, arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Mount Clay" from Hamburg, Germany 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Falcke (post 1700) +

  • Heino Falcke (b. 1966), German professor of radio astronomy and astroparticle physics at the Radboud University Nijmegen
  • Georg Falcke (1891-1979), Danish silver medalist gymnast who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics


  1. 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)
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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