Faulk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The old Welsh surname Faulk comes from the popular personal name Fulk. This forename of Norman origin originally came from one of a number of Germanic personal names with the first portion "folk-," which means "people."

Early Origins of the Faulk family

The surname Faulk was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales, created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where they held a family seat at "Yr Eifiad" from very ancient times, some say before the 9th century.

Another source notes "the pedigree is deduced from Marchudd ap Cynan, lord of Brynffenigi, who flourished in the ninth century. The name appears to have been borrowed from Ffoulk ap Thomas, who lived early in the sixteenth century, and whose descendants have ever since borne it." 1 And that "an early form of a capital F was ff." 2

Sir Martin Browne ffolkes, 1st Baronet, FRS (1749-1821) was an English Baronet and Member of Parliament. Son of William Folkes, he chose to revert his name back to the ffolkes spelling to better note his heritage. The Baronetcy continues to today using the same spelling with Sir Robert Francis Alexander ffolkes, 7th Baronet (born 1943.)

Early History of the Faulk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Faulk research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1660, 1661, 1676, 1678, 1679, 1691 and 1747 are included under the topic Early Faulk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faulk Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Faulk have included Foulke, Foulks, Foulkes and others.

Early Notables of the Faulk family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was William Foulkes (died 1691), a Welsh cleric and writer, Rector of Cwm in Denbighshire in 1660, of Llanfyllin and of Llanbrynmair in 1661, positions he held until his death.Peter Foulkes (1676-1747), was a scholar and divine, was the third son of Robert Foulkes of Llechryd, Denbighshire, deputy Baron of the court of exchequer of Chester. 3On the infamous side...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Faulk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faulk Ranking

In the United States, the name Faulk is the 1,973^rd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Faulk family

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Faulk: V. Foulk who settled in Baltimore Maryland in 1823; Thomas Foulke settled in Virginia in 1623; followed by William in 1624; Thomas Foulke settled in New Castle Del. in 1677.

Contemporary Notables of the name Faulk (post 1700) +

Mike Faulk (1953-2014), American jurist and politician who was elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2008
Andrew Jackson Faulk (1814-1898), third American Governor of Dakota Territory
Treverance Donta Faulk (b. 1981), American football linebacker
Mary Lena Faulk (1926-1995), American professional golfer
John Henry Faulk (1913-1990), American storyteller and radio show host
Marshall William Faulk (b. 1973), former American football running back
Kevin Troy Faulk (b. 1976), American football running back
Joe Faulk, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Florida, 2012 5
J. L. Faulk, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1924 5
J. J. Faulk, American politician, Member of Texas State Senate 9th District, 1903-06 5
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Faulk Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Jure, non dono
Motto Translation: By right, not by gift.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html