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Hanks Surname Origin
The following references at Family History Library provide definitions and origins of the Hanks surname.

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Hanks Coat of Arms
         Hanks Coat of Arms (medium)

Historical Research Center of FAMILY NAME HISTORY

The English surname Hanks is of patronymic origin, being one of those
names derived from the personal name of the father of the original bearer.
During the Middle-Ages when it became necessary to have surnames as a better
means of identification, nothing would be more natural than for children in the
community to be known by their father's name. In this instance, the surname Hanks
is derived from the Old Norse Personal name Anki of unknown derivation, and the Flemish
personal name Hank. Thus the surname Hanks signifies "son of Anki, or son of Hank."
The Flemish personal name Hank is a pet-form of John, ultimately from the Hebrew Johanan,
meaning "Jehovah has favored". Variants of the surname Hanks, include Anke, Hankes, and Hancks.

Earliest references to the surname are of the Norse derivation. For
example, one named Anke de Ankinson is recorded in the "Pipe Rolls" of Lincolnshire in 1194.
Roger Hanks of Norfolk who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. Of the Flemish derivation,
one Elizabeth Hanckes was baptised at St. James Church in Clerkenwell, London, in 1565.
Listd in the "Rolls of the Burgesses at the Guilds Merrchant of the Borough of Preston" in
Lancashire and Cheshire was Ralph Hancks in 1642. In colonial America, one
William Hankes was indentured four years as servant to the Richard Taylor
Plantation of Virginia in 1672. The following are the arms for Hankes.

BLAZON OF ARMS: Bendy of six azure and or, a chief ermine.
Translation:
The bends are diagonal divisions of the shield signifying Defence and Protection.
Azure (white) signifies Purity and Sincerity.
Or (gold) signifies Generosity and Elevation of Mind.
Ermine (fur) symbolizes Dignity.
CREST: A fleur-de-lis or.
Translation: The fleur-de-lis is attributed to royality and represents Faith, Wisdom and Valor.

ORIGIN: ENGLAND
 

Reaney, Percy Hide. A DICTIONARY OF BRITISH SURNAMES, London, Routlege and Kegan Paul, 1958, p. 153.

Hanke, Hanks:
Anke Hy 2 DC (L);
Hanke 12th ib.;
Anke de Ankinton' 1194 P (L);
Hank' carpentarius 1280 Oseney (O);
Roger Hanks 1275 RH (Nf);
Ralph Hancks 1642 PrGR.
Hank is usually regarded as a Flemish pet-form of John.
The early examples above are undoubtedly of Scandinavian
orgin, from ON Anke, a diminutive of some name in Arn- . . ..

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Reaney, Percy Hide Reaney, Litt.D., Ph.D., F.S.A. The Origin of ENGLISH SURNAMES. New York, Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1967.
 
SURNAMES FROM NATIVE PERSONAL-NAMES.
Anki, a dimunutive of Arn-, found also as Hanke and surviving as
Hanke and Hanks . . . (p. 120).


Bynames
The scandinavians, unlike the Anglo-Saxons and the continental Germans
had a habit of using the same personal-name in different
generations and branches of the same family. It was a common practive,
too, for a man to name his son after some notable chief or a
particular friend. 'The departure of the Scandinavian peoples from
common Germanic custom is at . . .. (p. 121).


SURNAMES FROM SCANDINAVIAN PERSONAL-NAMES
In A Dictionary of British Surnames (pp. xxxv-xxvi) is given a list of
some 148 different Scandinavian personal-names which still survive
in a variety of forms as modern surnames. Unfortunately a few names
were omitted and others have since been identified. To this list should
be added:
ON Anki (Hanks), IDa, OSw Anund (Annand), . . .. (page 127).

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Bardsley, Charles Wareing, M.A. A DICTIONARY of ENGLISH AND WELSH SURNAMES with special American Instances. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967.
 
Hanks. --Bapt. 'the son of John'; v. Hankin and Hanson. (t) A corruption of Hankins;
cf. Perks from Perkins, Dawks from Dawkins, Hawks from Hanksins, &c.
(2) Hanka or Hanke was an early Low Country pet-name for John (v. Yonge's Glossary).
Introduced into England the patronymic would be Hanks. In either case the origin is practically the same.
We find it early on the south-east coast, where we should naturally expect it to appear.
Roger Hanke, co Norf., 1273. A.
1564. Bapt--Eliz. Hanckes, borne in the feildes: St. Jas. Clerkenwell, i. 2.
1585.   -- William, s. Richard Hanckes: ibid. p. 17.
1789. Married -- William Hanks and Lucy Edwards: St. Geo. Han. Sq. ii. 18. London, 7; Oxford, 4; New York, 5.

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Guppy, Henry Brougham, M.B. (EDIN). HOMES OF FAMILY NAMES IN GREAT BRITAIN. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1968.
 
  GLOUCESTERSHIRE. E--K
 
PECULIAR NAMES (confined mostly to this county).
Gazard. . . Goulding. . . Hanks. . . Pegler. . . Ricketts. . . Stinchcombe. . .etc. (p. 195).
......HANKS was the name of a family possessing an estate in the parish of Church Down in the reign of Elizabeth (R.)......(p.199).

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