Show ContentsWheelock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wheelock family

The surname Wheelock was first found in Cheshire as Wheelock, a township, in the parish of Sandbach, union of Congleton, hundred of Northwich. [1] [2] [3]

The township dates back to the Domesday Book or 1086, when it was listed as Hoiloch, "named from the River Wheelock, a Celtic river-name meaning 'winding.' " [4]

Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and large village of Wheelock occupied by under-tenant Ranulph, the Earl of Chester who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

One of the first records of the family was found here in 1400 when John de Whelok, was listed as holding lands. [5]

Early History of the Wheelock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wheelock research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1582, 1593, 1622, 1629, 1642, 1653, 1657, 1661, 1677 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Wheelock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wheelock Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weelock, Wheelock, Wellock, Whellock, Whillock, Whealock and many more.

Early Notables of the Wheelock family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Abraham Wheelocke, Wheelock, Whelocke or Wheloc (1593-1653), an English linguist, the first Adams Professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge. He was born in 1593 at Whitchurch, Shropshire, and...

Wheelock Ranking

In the United States, the name Wheelock is the 9,173rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6]


United States Wheelock migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wheelock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ralph Wheelock, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1637 [7]
  • Edward Wheelock, who landed in Maryland in 1675 [7]
Wheelock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Wheelock, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1812 [7]
  • Alice Wheelock, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 [7]
  • A G Wheelock, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [7]

Canada Wheelock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wheelock Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Obediah and his wife Martha Sumner Wheelock, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
  • Obadiah Wheelock, who arrived in Anapolis (Annapolis), Nova Scotia in 1760

Contemporary Notables of the name Wheelock (post 1700) +

  • William A. Wheelock, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1872 [8]
  • Stillman Wheelock, American politician, Mayor of Moline, Illinois, 1877-83 [8]
  • Vance M. Wheelock, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 2008 [8]
  • Silas E. Wheelock, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1900 [8]
  • Robert Lloyd Wheelock (1893-1962), American politician, Mayor of Corsicana, Texas, 1929-31 [8]
  • L. L. Wheelock, American politician, Member of Minnesota State Senate 12th District, 1876-77 [8]
  • Kurt Wheelock, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 2000 [8]
  • Joseph A. Wheelock, American Republican politician, Postmaster at St. Paul, Minnesota, 1870-75 [8]
  • John T. Wheelock, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Erie County 3rd District, 1858 [8]
  • John W. Wheelock, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1900 [8]
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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