The old
Welsh surname Foulke 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 Foulke family
The surname Foulke 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 Foulke family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foulke research.
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1691, 1660 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Foulke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Foulke Spelling Variations
Compared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of
Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of
spelling variations. These
spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. People could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many
Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the
Brythonic Celtic language of the
Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Foulke name over the years has been spelled Foulke, Foulks, Foulkes and others.
Early Notables of the Foulke family (pre 1700)
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Foulke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Foulke family to the New World and Oceana
The
Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Foulke:
Foulke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Thomas Foulke, who settled in Virginia in 1623
- William Foulke, who settled in Virginia in 1624
- William Foulke, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1625 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Thomas Foulke, who landed in New Jersey in 1677 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Thomas Foulke, who settled in New Castle Del. in 1677
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Foulke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- John Wilhelm Foulke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1762 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - John Wilhelm Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1762 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - John Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - George Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Adam Foulke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Foulke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Philip Foulke, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Contemporary Notables of the name Foulke (post 1700)
- William Dudley Foulke (1848-1935), American politician, Member of Indiana State Senate, 1883-86; Member, U.S. Civil Service Commission, 1901-03 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Jesse R. Foulke, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1884 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Howard A. Foulke, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1944 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Mary Foulke Morrisson (1879-1971), American pioneer in the Women's rights movement and was a prominent member of the Board of Trustees at Connecticut College for 28 years
The Foulke 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.