Frankes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The name Frankes is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Frankes was a name used for a person who was referred to as being free or generous. The surname was originally derived from the Old French franc, which meant "liberal, generous." In this case, the name would have been initially bestowed as a nickname either on someone who was generous or in an ironic way on someone who was stingy. The surname also has origins from the Norman official title, the frank which also means free. To confuse matters more, the surname could have been derived from the Norman personal name "Franc," which was originally an ethnic name for one of Frankish race.

Early Origins of the Frankes family

The surname Frankes was first found in the Domesday Book where bearers of the name Frankes were granted lands in Shropshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Surrey. The name appears with some frequency in various counties between the 11th and 14th centuries; early bearers of the name include Ricardus filius Franke, who was living in London in 1188, and Ricardus Franc, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Essex in 1201. 1

Early History of the Frankes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frankes research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1613, 1624, 1640, 1664, 1708 and 1775 are included under the topic Early Frankes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frankes Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Frankes include Frank, Franks, Franke, Frankes, Frenk, Frink and many more.

Early Notables of the Frankes family

Notables of the family at this time include Mark Frank (1613-1664), a British theologian, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge; John Frank (c.1640), a British bookseller; Calvin Frink (c.1775), a British army surgeon; and Richard Franck (1624?-1708), an English captain in the Parliamentary Army and author from Nottingham. He was born and educated at Cambridge, but probably was not a...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frankes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Frankes family to Ireland

Some of the Frankes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frankes migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Frankes were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Frankes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

An Frankes, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 2
Katherine Frankes, who landed in Virginia in 1699 2

The Frankes 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: Non nobis nati
Motto Translation: Born not for ourselves

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)