Show ContentsWilkie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wilkie family

The surname Wilkie was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066, and were Lords of the manor of Ellington House and Blackheath in that shire.

Early History of the Wilkie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilkie research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1563, 1574, 1591 and 1627 are included under the topic Early Wilkie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilkie Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wilkie, Wilkey, Wilky, Willeke and others.

Early Notables of the Wilkie family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Wilkie of St...

Wilkie Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilkie is the 5,973rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name Wilkie is ranked the 909th most popular surname with an estimated 811 people with that name. 2


United States Wilkie migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilkie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Wilkie, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 3
Wilkie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Wilkie who settled in South Carolina in 1716
Wilkie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Walter Wilkie, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1823
  • William Wilkie, who arrived in South Carolina in 1832 3
  • Mrs. Wilkie, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
  • Samuel Wilkie, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1863

Canada Wilkie migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilkie Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Wilkie U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 57 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 4

Australia Wilkie migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wilkie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Wilkie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • George Wilkie, a baker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. John Wilkie, British Convict who was convicted in Maidstone, Kent, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Miss Agnes Wilkie, (Hutcheon), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • George Wilkie, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Wilkie migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wilkie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Alex Wilkie, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Arab
  • George Wilkie, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Arab
  • J Wilkie, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship "Lady Nugent"
  • Elizabeth Wilkie, aged 60, a nurse, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
  • James Wilkie, aged 22, a sawyer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilkie (post 1700) +

  • David Wilkie (b. 1974), retired American NHL ice hockey player
  • Alan B. Wilkie (b. 1951), English former football referee
  • John Carlin Wilkie (1947-2023), Scottish footballer
  • Alan Douglas Wilkie (1928-2023), Australian meteorologist and radio and television weather presenter
  • William Wilkie (1721-1772), Scottish poet, nicknamed ‘the Scottish Homer,’ son of James Wilkie, a farmer, born at Echlin, parish of Dalmeny, Midlothian 9
  • Mr. Alexander Craig Wilkie M.B.E., D.L., British Business Development and Relationship Director for Muller Dairy, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to the British and International Dairy Industry and to the community in Lanarkshire 10
  • Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), Scottish painter, born at Cults, on the banks of Eden Water, in the county of Fife; he came of an old Midlothian stock, being the third son of David Wilkie, minister of Cults 9
  • Bob Wilkie (b. 1969), retired Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player
  • Kim Wilkie (b. 1959), Australian Labor Party politician, member of the Australian House of Representatives
  • Alex James Wilkie FRS (b. 1948), British mathematician known for his contributions to Model theory, creator of the Wilie theorum
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

SS Caribou
  • Miss Anges Wightman Wilkie (b. 1904), British passenger who was Royal Navy nurse from Carman, Manitoba was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, she died in the lifeboat after the sinking, Wilkie lake in Manitoba is named after her


Suggested Readings for the name Wilkie +

  • The Jonathan Treel; or, A Wilkey Genealogy by Hubert Weldon Wilkey.
  • The Wilkie/Wilkey Family by Hubert Weldon Wilkey.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  3. 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)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  8. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Jan. 2019
  10. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1


Houseofnames.com on Facebook