Benka

This is a name of Mid European origins, but is itself a derived form of the Roman (Latin) "bene" meaning "well or good", plus the diminutive suffix "ka", implying "little good child", a baptismal name of endearment. The name recordings include the variant spellings of Bene, Benge, Bengsch, Bengs, and Bengen, the name being recorded in Germany from the early 18th Century. This is much later than equivalent British records which often date back to the 11th Century, but Mid Europe in particular has suffered a succession of wars and destruction for many centuries. In some cases early records are known to exist, but are not publicly available at the present time. The recording examples of Benge/Benka include the following: Anna Benka, believed to be the daughter of Andreas Benka (below), born on January 11th 1771, and registered at Faszen, East Prussia, whilst on January 6th 1861, Gustav Heinrich Benka, the son of Heinrich and Carol Benka, was christened at Kokotzka, West Prussia. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Andreas Benka, which was dated May 7th 1759, marriage to Dorothea Jekubcikowva, at Sensburg, East Prussia, during the reign of Francis 1, "Holy Roman Emperor", 1745 - 1765. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.