Willkes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Willkes

The generations and branches of the Willkes family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Willkes comes from a medieval given name, a short form of William. 1

Willkes 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 Willkes family

Early History of the Willkes family

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

Willkes 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 Willkes include Wilkes, Wilke, Wilks and others.

Early Notables of the Willkes 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 Willkes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Willkes family

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 Willkes or a variant listed above: Thomas Wilkes, who came to Virginia in 1653; William Wilkes who arrived in Virginia in 1654; Elizabeth Wilkes, who settled in New England in 1745; and Joseph Wilkes, who came to Maryland in 1776..