Watkens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

Etymology of Watkens

What does the name Watkens mean?

A product of the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales, the name Watkens, is from the personal name Walter. The surname Watkens is derived from the pet form Wat, which is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin.

Early Origins of the Watkens family

The surname Watkens was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries), where they held a family seat at Pennoyre from ancient times and early in the eleventh century branched to Llangorse in that same shire.

Early History of the Watkens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watkens research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1653, 1660, 1665 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Watkens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watkens Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Watkens have included Watkins, Watkyns, Watkens, Watkin and others.

Early Notables of the Watkens family

Morgan Watkins (fl. 1653-1670), English Quaker from Herefordshire who was imprisoned in 1660 in St. Albans gaol and later twice in 1665. "He afterwards appears to have preached and been imprisoned in...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Watkens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Watkens family to Ireland

Some of the Watkens 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.

Migration of the Watkens family

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Watkens: Henry Watkins who was a fisherman of Little Harbour in Twillingate Newfoundland in 1814; Peregrine Watkines settled in Virginia in 1621; Evan Watkins settled in Virginia in 1622.

The Watkens 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: Pen-aur-y-chalon Wir
Motto Translation: A golden head and true heart.