Wiltse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Wiltse begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Wiltshire, a county in southwestern England. The place-name was recorded as Wiltunscir in 870, and as Wiltescire in the Domesday Book, 1 compiled in 1086. The place-name means "shire centered on Wilton." Wilton is composed of the Old English elements wilig, which means willow tree, and tun, for farmstead or enclosure. The place-name Wilton means "farm where the willow trees grow." 2

Early Origins of the Wiltse family

The surname Wiltse was first found in Sussex where Hunfridus de Wilechier was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1157. The same rolls listed Hunfridus de Wilecher in 1162. In Wiltshire, Nicholas de Wiltesir was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1207 and later, Robert Wylchar was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275. In Hampshire, John Wilteshire was listed in 1298 and in Kent, William Wylkeshire was listed in 1440. 3

Despite the fact that the "surname is derived from a geographical locality and is 'from Wiltshire,'" 4 the name was widespread by the 13th century. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Michael de Wyltesire, Cambridgeshire; William de Wyltesyre, Somerset; Roger de Wilteschire, Salop (Shropshire). The Writs of Parliament includes an entry for Almaric de Wilteshire, 1313 but no county is given. 4

Early History of the Wiltse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wiltse research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1456, 1483, 1534, 1674, 1680, 1758, 1794 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Wiltse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiltse Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Wiltse has undergone many spelling variations, including Wiltshire, Wiltshear, Wiltsheir and others.

Early Notables of the Wiltse family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir John Wiltshire of Stone Castle, Kent. His daughter Bridget Wiltshire (later, Wingfield, then Hervey, then Tyrwhitt; died 1534) was a neighbour, close friend and lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England. She was the wife of Sir Richard Wingfield (widower of Catherine Woodville.) Ironically, a letter written...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wiltse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiltse Ranking

In the United States, the name Wiltse is the 10,823^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Wiltse migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Wiltse were among those contributors:

Wiltse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hendrick Martense Wiltse, who landed in New York in 1658 6

Wiltse migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wiltse Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Benoni Wiltse Sr., U.E., (Wilsey, Wiltsie, Wiltsey) who settled in Canada c. 1784 7
Mr. James Wiltse U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 7
Mr. John Wiltse Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 7
Mr. Benoni Wiltse Jr., U.E., (Wilsey, Wiltsie, Wiltsey) who settled in Elizabeth Town [Elizabethtown], Leeds County, Ontario c. 1786 he served in the Loyal Rangers 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Wiltse (post 1700) +

John H. Wiltse, American Republican politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1919-20; Nebraska Republican State Chair, 1931 8
Henry Wiltse, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 14th District, 1856 8
H. A. Wiltse, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1856 8
George P. Wiltse, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Genesee County 2nd District, 1910 8
Donald A. Wiltse, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 37th District, 1940 8
Lewis DeWitt "Snake" Wiltse (1871-1928), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1901 to 1903, brother of Hooks Wiltse
George Leroy "Hooks" Wiltse (1879-1959), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1904 to 1915, nicknamed "Hooks" because of his curveball, brother to Snake Wiltse
Harold James "Hal" Wiltse (1903-1983), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1926 to 1931
David Wiltse, American Drama Desk Award winning and Edgar Allan Poe Award winning playwright and novelist
Mark Wiltse (b. 1988), American soccer player

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html