EnglandThe origins of the name Henken are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name John, which was originally derived from the diminutive Johan-kin.
"The English form was Jankin or Jenkin, but Hankin, introduced from the Low Countries, gradually naturalized itself, though it never became actually English. 'Hankin Booby was a common name for a clown': Chappell's English Songs. 'Thus for her love and loss poor Hankin dies, His amorous soul down flies.': Musarum Deliciae, 1655." [1]
The surname Henken was first found in Somerset, where Alexander Henekyng was listed there 1 Edward III (in the first year of King Edward III's reign.) [2]
The early London registry Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinesi listed Hanekin de Fine and the Munimenta Gildhallæ Londoniensis listed Hanekyn Jocelyn. [1]
The Latin form of the name, Hankynus was listed in Oxfordshire in 1285 and in Cheshire, Hanekyn de London was listed there in 1300. Willelmus filius Hamekin was found in Lincolnshire in 1232. [3]
Again in Cheshire, Hondekin the Barbur was listed in the Assize Rolls in 1286 and later, Hugh Hankyn was in the Subsidy Rolls in 1327. In Sussex, Thomas Hamekyng was listed there in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. [3]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henken research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1761, 1761, 1782, 1787 and 1602 are included under the topic Early Henken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Henken family name include Hankin, Hankins, Hanking, Hankinson, Hanken and others.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Henken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Henken migration to the United States +For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Henken surname or a spelling variation of the name include:
