Hello ernest500
Thank-you for an interesting question.
This is a rare name strongly linked with South Wales, where the most
usual spelling is Nekrews. As well as Nekrews and the spellings you
give, Neckrews is also a possibility. Current phone book listings in
South Wales suggest Nekrews and Necrews are the most common variation
today.
In the England and Wales, Civil Registration Index: 1837-1900
(register of births, marriages and deaths), there are 17 entries for
Nekrews, mostly registered at Swansea or Bridgend, both in
Glamorganshire.
The same index has two entries for Neckrews getting married, one in
Swansea and one in London.
There are three for Necrews, all in Swansea, and one Swansea birth for
a Necruse. Nekrwes gives one Swansea marriage and another in Devon.
This information came from Ancestry.com, where you would have to go
through a short free registration process to access the database
yourself. They may have some additional information for paid
subscribers (but for the names which interest you, not much, I think.)
http://www.ancestry.com/
The 1901 census shows fourteen Nekrews, ten of them born in Swansea.
There are also six Necrews, all born in Swansea.
1901 census
http://www.census.pro.gov.uk/
One family history site traces the name back to the eighteenth century
in Swansea:
Welsh Ancestor List
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/listfram.htm
None of the people researching the name seem to have found any traces
of it earlier than the eighteenth century. It is not mentioned in
anything I found about earlier names, e.g. "Welsh, Cornish and Breton
Names"
http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/pceltic.shtml
The South Wales connection is confirmed by messages on the RootsWeb
website, where there are some interesting snippets of people's family
history and some details of parish records showing Nekrews in
Pembrokeshire too.
RootsWeb message board (Pembrokeshire)
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:OAd1ILWNyaEC:archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/WLS-PEMBROKESHIRE/2002-01+nekrews&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
These messages also suggest alternative spellings like Nekrwes,
Neckrose, perhaps originally mistakes.
I found one message from a lady speculating that there could be a
connection with the Cornish name Nekerwis:
http://www.jenforum.org/nekerwis/
There's no real evidence for this as far as I know, but it's
interesting in the light of the historical and linguistic links
between the Celtic 'fringes' of Great Britain.
Another family historian speculates that the name must have 'arrived'
from abroad. Again, no evidence for this has been found yet, I'm
afraid.
EXTRA LINKS
The May/June 2002 of Family Chronicle included "Tracing Nekrews name"
in its "You Wanted to Know" section. Back issues available from:
http://www.familychronicle.com/backissu.html
BBCi message from someone researching the name Nekrews
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/sites/familyhistory/pages/canyouhelp.shtml
more people researching the name Nekrews
http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/mbexec/board/5538/surnames.nekrews
I hope this is helpful. It's obviously a very unusual name. Please
feel free to ask for clarification if something needs further
explanation, or if any links don't work, and I'll do my best to
assist.
Regards - Leli
search strategy:
searches on Google, RootsWeb, Ancestry.com, and the 1901 census with
variations on the name Nekrews. |
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