The old
Welsh surname Faulks 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 Faulks family
The surname Faulks 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. And that "an early form of a capital F was ff." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York, Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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 Faulks family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Faulks research.
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1691, 1660 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Faulks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Faulks Spelling Variations
Although there are not an extremely large number
Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of
spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within
Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of
Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Faulks has seen various spelling variations: Foulke, Foulks, Foulkes and others.
Early Notables of the Faulks family (pre 1700)
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Faulks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Faulks family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Faulks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- John Faulks, aged 43, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Magdalena" [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
South Australian Register Friday 26th August 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Magdalena 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/magdalena1853.shtml
Contemporary Notables of the name Faulks (post 1700)
- Barton Faulks, American actor, known for Edge (1988) of the Axe, Future-Kill (1985) and Freeze (2015)
- Ben Faulks, American actor, known for Warrior Queen (2003), Perfect Eyes and CBeebies Panto: Strictly Cinderella (2011)
- Lynne Faulks, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Arlynne L. Faulks, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Sebastian Charles Faulks CBE (b. 1953), British novelist, journalist, and broadcaster, brother of Edward Faulks, known for his work on Charlotte Gray (2001), On Green Dolphin Street and Faulks on Fiction (2011)
- Edward Peter Lawless Faulks QC (b. 1950), Baron Faulks, an English barrister and Queen's Counsel, Minister of State for Civil Justice and Legal Policy (2014-)
The Faulks 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.