Weeks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Weeks reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Weeks family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Weeks family lived in Sussex. The name, however, derives from the Old English word wic, which describes someone who lives at an outlying settlement.

Early Origins of the Weeks family

The surname Weeks was first found in Surrey at Wyke, a tything, in the parish of Worplesdon, union of Guildford, First division of the hundred of Woking. “This place is mentioned in Domesday Book under the name of Wucha, and at an early period was held by a family called De Wyke.” [1]

Another branch of the family was found at Yatton in Somerset. “The greater portion of [the church of Yatton] appears to have been rebuilt in the 15th century, by the Wyck family, to one of whom is a monument bearing his effigy, in the north transept.” [1]

Thomas de Wykes (fl. 1258-1293), the English chronicler, took the habit of a canon regular at Osney Abbey, near Oxford, on 14 April 1282. “He mentions in his chronicle various namesakes and probable kinsfolk, including Robert de Wykes (d. 1246), Edith de Wyke (d. 1269), and John de Wykes, who in 1283 took a ‘votum profectionis’. The name is a fairly common one, both as a personal and a place name, so that it is highly unsafe to identify him with other bearers of the same name, such as Thomas de Wyke, priest, who before 1249 wished to become a Franciscan friar.” [2]

Early History of the Weeks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weeks research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1703, 1222, 1293, 1430, 1554, 1554, 1554, 1621, 1593, 1643, 1627, 1641, 1628, 1699, 1632, 1707, 1683 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Weeks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weeks Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person’s name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Weeks family name include Weekes, Weeks, Wikes, Wykes, Wyke, Wix, Wicks, Weykes and many more.

Early Notables of the Weeks family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Wykes (1222-c.1293), English chronicler, a canon regular of Oseney Abbey, near Oxford; Thomas Wykes (died c.1430), Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire; Thomas Wykes (fl. 1554), of Moreton Jeffries, Herefordshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Leominster in November 1554; Richard Wyche (or Wiche) (1554-1621), a… 
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weeks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weeks World Ranking

In the United States, the name Weeks is the 711^st most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. [3] However, in Australia, the name Weeks is ranked the 759^thmost popular surname with an estimated 5,152 people with that name. [4] And in the United Kingdom, the name Weeks is the 939^th popular surname with an estimated 7,383 people with that name. [5]

 Weeks migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Weeks family to immigrate North America.