Sillke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Sillke

What does the name Sillke mean?

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Sillke came from the baptismal name for the son of Cecil, deriving from the nickname Sill. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The earliest surnames in England were found shortly after the Norman Conquest and are of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Sillke family

The surname Sillke was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat from early times and were anciently descended from the distinguished Saxon family who held a family seat there well before the Norman Conquest. The name is derived from a colloquial term in Derbyshire about the year 1000 describing a thrush, i.e. a "shrilcock" or "shilcock."

Early History of the Sillke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sillke research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1283, 1379 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Sillke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sillke Spelling Variations

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 Sillke family name include Silcock, Silcocks, Silcox, Sylcox, Sylcock, Shilcock, Shrilcox, Shrilcocks, Silk and many more.

Early Notables of the Sillke family

More information is included under the topic Early Sillke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sillke family

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 Sillke surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Ann Silcock who landed in America in 1748; William Silcock settled in Virginia in 1729; Roger Silcocke settled in America in 1660; Grace Silcockes settled in Virginia in 1670.