Wilcke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Wilcke

What does the name Wilcke mean?

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Wilcke came from a medieval given name, a short form of William. 1

Wilcke is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, while others came from the personal names of famous religious and secular figures. In this case, the surname was originally derived from the popular medieval surname William, which became even more popular after the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066, led by William the Conqueror.

Early Origins of the Wilcke family

The surname Wilcke was first found in Lancashire where as a forename Wylke de Chyrchele was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1246. Later the mononym, Wilke was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1286. The Hundredorum Rolls for Bedfordshire included an entry for Roger Wylk in 1279 and later, John Wilkys was registered in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 2

Early History of the Wilcke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilcke research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1529, 1535, 1545, 1548, 1551, 1553, 1556, 1564, 1570, 1580, 1598, 1600, 1641, 1665, 1666, 1690, 1691, 1732, 1740 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Wilcke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilcke Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Wilcke has been recorded under many different variations, including Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks and others.

Early Notables of the Wilcke family

Israel Wilkes, a 17th century citizen and distiller of London, father of the politician John Wilkes. Sir Thomas Wilkes (1545?-1598), was an English diplomatist, born about 1545, and is said to have been a native of Sussex. "The Oxford registers do not supply his father's name, and the family occurs in many counties and in many forms, such as Wikes, Wylkes, Weekes, Wyckes, and other variations. A Richard Wilkes (d. 1556) was master of Christ's College, Cambridge, from 1548 to 1553; a Thomas Wilkes represented Chippenham in the Reformation parliament of 1529-1535, and another Thomas Wilkes, haberdasher, of London, was fined 200l...
Another 176 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wilcke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilcke migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wilcke or a variant listed above:

Wilcke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Rudolf Wilcke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 3
Rudolph Wilcke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
Christian Wilcke, who landed in Long Island in 1781 3

Wilcke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Karoline Wilhelmine Wilcke, who landed in America in 1843 3
Ludwig Wilcke, who arrived in America in 1844 3
Luise Wilcke, aged 61, who landed in America in 1845 3
Michael Friedrich Wilcke, who landed in America in 1846 3
Maria Wilcke, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilcke (post 1700) +

Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 162 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Johan Carl Wilcke (1732-1796), Swedish physicist and became permanent secretary of the Academy of Sciences in 1784

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)