| ![Show Contents]() Firk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of FirkWhat does the name Firk mean? The Firk name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived as dwellers at the bay or wide valley. The surname Firk was primarily located at Chapel-le-Frith, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of High Peakin in Derbyshire. 1 The town dates back to 1272, when it was known as Capella de la Firth, and meant "chapel in the sparse woodland." 2 Early Origins of the Firk familyThe surname Firk was first found in Derbyshire at Chapel-En-Le-Frith. One of the first records of the family was Wlimar Frith who appeared in the Pipe Rolls for Kent in 1195. A few years later, John del Frith was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1201 and later, William in the Frith was listed in Essex in 1276. 3 Richard de la Fryth, was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Norfolk. 4 Early History of the Firk familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Firk research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1317, 1503, 1533, 1584, 1659, 1699, 1700 and 1941 are included under the topic Early Firk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Firk Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Firk has undergone many spelling variations, including Frith, Fryth, Firkin and others. Early Notables of the Firk familyRichard le Frith; Mary Frith or Moll Cutpurse (c.1584-1659), a notorious pickpocket and fence of the English underworld; and John Frith or Fryth (1503-1533), English Protestant martyr who aided William Tyndale in...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Firk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Firk family to IrelandSome of the Firk family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Firk migration to the United States | + |
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Firk were among those contributors:
Firk Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Joh Jurg Firk, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 5
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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)
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