Show ContentsSilcocks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Silcocks

What does the name Silcocks mean?

The earliest origins of the name Silcocks date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the baptismal name for the son of Cecil, deriving from the nickname Sill. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The earliest surnames in England were found shortly after the Norman Conquest and are of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Silcocks family

The surname Silcocks was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat from early times and were anciently descended from the distinguished Saxon family who held a family seat there well before the Norman Conquest. The name is derived from a colloquial term in Derbyshire about the year 1000 describing a thrush, i.e. a "shrilcock" or "shilcock."

Early History of the Silcocks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Silcocks research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1283, 1379 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Silcocks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silcocks 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 Silcocks include Silcock, Silcocks, Silcox, Sylcox, Sylcock, Shilcock, Shrilcox, Shrilcocks, Silk and many more.

Early Notables of the Silcocks family

More information is included under the topic Early Silcocks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Silcocks 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 Silcocks or a variant listed above:

Silcocks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Silcocks, who settled in New York State in 1823
  • Samuel Silcocks, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Silcocks (post 1700) +

  • Matthew Silcocks (b. 1993), Australian athletics competitor at the 2012 Summer Paralympics


  1. 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)


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