Voelker - Name

This interesting surname is a development of the very popular Old German pre 7th century personal name "Fulchar", which pre-dates surnames by many centuries. The original name was composed of the elements "folk", meaning the people, and "hari,", an army. This type of name was very popular in the period of history known as "The dark ages". During this time most names were created around the theme of war, religion and glory, and this is an excellent example of the art. As a surname it is one of the earliest recorded in Germany, where in its "modern" form it is found in a wide variety of spellings. These include Folk, Volk, Folck, Volck, Folker, Volker, Foelcker, Voelcker, Foelker, Voelker, Voelcher, and many others, whilst the original Fulcher or Fulchar is also recorded as a surname in several countries. Early examples of the surname recording include Albrecht Folcker of Knoringen, in 1548, and Johan Frederich Voelker, of Herrstein, state of Oldenburg, on September 6th 1713. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family depicts an ermine shield, on a red bend three plates, with the crest, a demi lion holding an anchor proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Heinse Volker, 1398, in the charters of the city of Thuringen, Germany, Emperor Wenceslas, of the Holy roman (German) empire, 1378 - 1400.