Watkenson Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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First composed in the countryside now known as Wales, the ancient name of Watkenson began its life as a name for a the personal name Walter. The surname Watkenson is derived from the pet form Wat, which is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin and the patronymic suffix -son, which superseded other patronymic suffixes during the 14th century.

Watkenson Early Origins

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The surname Watkenson was first found in Yorkshire, at Beeston and Ilkley where they held a family seat from ancient times undoubtedly related to the Welsh Watkins of Pennoyre in Breconshire.

Watkenson 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 Watkenson name over the years has been spelled Watkinson, Watkisson, Watkynson, Wattkinson, Waytkinson, Waytekinson, Waitkinson, Watkenson and many more.

Watkenson Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watkenson research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1665 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Watkenson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watkenson Early Notables (pre 1700)

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

The Great Migration

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Watkenson:

Watkenson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cor Watkenson, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 ^[1]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)

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Citations

^ 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)

Other References

Crispin, M. Jackson and Leonce Mary. Falaise Roll Recording Prominent Companions of William Duke of Normandy at the Conquest of England. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Bradsley C.W. A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print.
Bullock, L.G. Historical Map of England and Wales. Edinburgh: Bartholomew and Son, 1971. Print.
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
Le Patourel, John. The Norman Empire. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-19-822525-3).
Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
Library of Congress. American and English Genealogies in the Library of Congress. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. Print.
Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
Hinde, Thomas Ed. The Domesday Book England's Heritage Then and Now. Surrey: Colour Library Books, 1995. Print. (ISBN 1-85833-440-3).
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The Watkenson Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Watkenson Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 6 June 2014 at 11:43.