Franklin genealogy and family history

Date: 1100 [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

This is a central place for organizing family history related to the last name Franklin.

Note that other spellings for Franklin include Frankling, Francklyn, Francklin, Franklen and Franklyn.

Contents 1 Origins of the Franklin Surname 2 Famous Franklins 3 Geographic Centers for Franklin Name 4 Towns Named Franklin 5 Franklins on WikiTree

Origins of the Franklin Surname

The origins, in England, were in the feudal system of medieval England.

From Middle English "frankelin", from the Anglo-Norman French "franc" meaning free, in the sense of liberal and generous. The Germanic suffix "ling" was added.

In 1100, in England, "Franklin" was considered a free man and a holder of fairly extensive areas of land, a gentleman ranked above the main body of minor freeholders, but below a knight or a member of the nobility.

In 1234, the surname spelling "Franckeleyn" is recorded in Cambridgeshire, England.

Benjamin Franklin's family was from England. The first recording of one of his ancestors was that of Ralph Frankelein, which was dated 1195, in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire County.

Famous Franklins

A selection of those with the surname Franklin and their ingenious achievements:

• Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) One of America's greatest creative geniuses.
• Rosalind Franklin DNA research/discovery pioneer.

Geographic Centers for Franklin Name

The most populated locations for the surname Franklin is the London and Essex County regions of England. (as of what year is this information relevant?)

In the United States most Franklins are in the southern states but also in New York and Pennsylvannia. (as of what year is this information relevant?)

Towns Named Franklin

• Franklin, Pennsylvania was originally Fort Venango, built by the British in 1760. It was taken over by the American colonists and renamed Fort Franklin in 1787 for Benjamin Franklin.
• Franklin, Massachusetts, southwest of Boston, was named for Ben Franklin in 1786. Ben showed his appreciation of the honor by sending the town a library of 116 volumes which formed the nucleus of America's first public library.
• Franklin, Connecticut is east of Hartford. It was incorporated into a town in 1786.
• Franklin, Alabama
• There is likely a town named Franklin in every state!

Franklins on WikiTree

Here is the Franklin index, updated this morning. If you are a Franklin and add yourself or an ancestor to WikiTree your additions will appear on the index tomorrow.

Franklin Name Study

See also Franklyn and Frankland