Wilk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The earliest origins of the name Wilk date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from a medieval given name, a short form of William. 1

Wilk 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 Wilk family

The surname Wilk 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 Wilk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilk 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 Wilk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilk Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Wilk include Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks and others.

Early Notables of the Wilk family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

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 i...
Robert Wilks (c. 1665-1732), was a British actor and theatrical manager of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He was a "descendant of a Worcester family, the fortunes of which were seriously impaired by the c...
Richard Wilkes (1691-1760), was an English antiquary and physician, born at Willenhall in Staffordshire on 16 March 1690, the eldest son of Richard Wilkes (1666-1740) of Willenhall. 3

Wilk Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilk is the 8,015^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Wilk migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wilk or a variant listed above:

Wilk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Henry Wilk, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1819 5
Joseph Wilk, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 5
Abram Wilk, aged 18, who landed in America, in 1895
Adam Wilk, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895
Agathe Wilk, aged 3, who settled in America, in 1895

Wilk Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Paul Wilk, who landed in Arkansas in 1902 5
Hattie Wilk, who arrived in Mercer Co. ND in 1918

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilk (post 1700) +

Scott Thomas Wilk Sr. (b. 1959), American politician, Member of the California State Assembly (2012-)
Vic Wilk (b. 1960), American professional golfer, three time Junior World Golf Champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973
Maurice Wilk (d. 1963), American violinist who performed as a member of the Alma Trio from 1953 until his death
Max Wilk (1920-2011), American playwright, screenwriter and author of fiction and nonfiction
Adam Robert Wilk (b. 1987), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Michael Wilk (b. 1952), American keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer
Brad Wilk (b. 1968), American drummer
James Brett Wilk (b. 1978), English professional mixed martial artist
Jerzy Wilk (1955-2021), Polish politician who served as a member of the Sejm
Wojciech Wilk (b. 1972), Polish politician, Member of the Sejm in 2005
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)