FALKNER
Falkner is an occupational surname of English and Scottish origin, dating back to the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle English word fauconer or falconer, which described a person who trained and flew falcons for the purpose of hunting. The surname therefore signalled a person's involvement in falconry, a highly regarded skill in medieval society, especially among the nobility.
The earliest documented spelling of the name is shown in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire in 1194, where the name Henry Falkenar is recorded during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart. Subsequent early examples include Henry le fauconer of Yorkshire in 1219 and John Fauconner of Somerset in 1327. These records support the hypothesis that the surname entered English usage in the 13th century, likely through the influence of Old French fau(l)connier, meaning a keeper or trainer of hawks.
In addition to its meaning as a falconery occupation, the name has also been associated with the operation of a medieval crane or windlass known as a faucon. Records from 1282 mention the faukonarii or falconarii at Caernarvon Castle, who were paid for operating this device. This secondary source of employment may have contributed to the surname's early adoption in different regions.
The surname has undergone several orthographic variations over the centuries, including Faulkner, Fawkner, Falckner, Falconer and Faultner. Such variations persisted because spelling was not standardised until modern times. The use of the spelling Falkner became the most common form in the United Kingdom, while other forms appear more frequently in the United States and Canada.
A notable American early bearer of the surname was Thomas Faulkner, recorded in a 1623 list of the living in Virginia, having arrived on the Mary Providence in 1622. This indicates that the name migrated to the New World in the early 17th century and has remained somewhat uncommon in contemporary usage.
Heraldic evidence is available for the Falkner family of Sloane Street, Chelsea. Their granted coat of arms features a paly of six black and silver, overall a green bend with three golden trefoils. The crest displays a dragon's head and neck, wings addorsed, couped at the shoulders proper. Such heraldry emphasises the family's historical standing and distinguishes them from unrelated families with similar surnames.
While Falkner has a Germanic root in the sense of “falconer,” its proliferation in Britain is largely tied to the Middle English and Old French occupational tradition rather than German migration. The surname thus retains a direct link to the medieval pastime of falconry, reflecting the value placed on hunting skills among the medieval aristocracy.
Typical given names associated with the Falkner surname
Male
- Adam
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Jonathan
- Matthew
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Timothy
Female
- Dawn
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Henia
- Joanne
- Lucy
- Marion
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
- Sylvia
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Falkner in...
Braille
⠋⠁⠇⠅⠝⠑⠗
Morse
..-..-.-..-.--...-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 583 people named Falkner in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around nine in a million people in Britain are named Falkner.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Falkner
- J. Meade Falkner - Writer (1858 to 1932)
- Kishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of Margravine - Baroness
- Keith Falkner - Baritone (1900 to 1994)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.