LAKES
Lakes is an English surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin. It is principally a topographical name, originally given to persons who lived in the vicinity of a body of water such as a stream or a lake. The name derives from the Middle English word lak, meaning a shallow pond, lake or marsh, which in turn stems from Old English.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname is Richard de la Lake, shown in the Shropshire Pipe Rolls of the year 1200, during the reign of King John (1199‑1216). Another early reference is William del Lacke of Buckinghamshire, dated 1185. In Wiltshire the place name Lake appears in the 1316 Feudal Aid Rolls for the county, and similar place‑names exist in Devonshire.
Variations in spelling are numerous, reflecting the evolution of English orthography and the migration of bearers of the name. Common variants include Lake, Laker, Lakeman, Lack, Leche, Leek, Leain, Lac, Lax, Lacoue, Lacqua and the Hebrew‑written forms Lech or Lakesh. In Scotland the surname sometimes appears as Lachen, Leckie or Leckey; in Ireland it may be rendered Leach or Lakh.
During the Middle Ages the surname was largely confined to the south and east of England, especially in counties such as Norfolk, Cambridge and Kent. It was also common in the West Country, where the word lacu (Old English pre‑7th century for a stream) may have influenced the adoption of the name. The name later spread to other parts of the British Isles, and from there to North America, Canada, Australia and continental Europe.
In the New World the first known emigrant bearing the name was William Lake, who departed from London on the ship Assurance in July 1635, with the destination of Virginia. In the United States the surname is now most frequently seen in California and Texas, with smaller concentrations in the Northeast, Midwest and South.
Bearers of the surname traditionally have been associated with water‑based occupations. In medieval records many were described as fishers or boat‑builders, and later generations often maintained ties to maritime or inland water activities such as sailing, hunting and exploration of English rivers and lakes.
Typical given names associated with the Lakes surname
Male
- Anthony
- Eddie
- Jamie
- Jeffrey
- Liam
Female
- Emma
- Esther
- Nicola
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Lakes in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 125 people named Lakes in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Lakes.
Famous people named Lakes
- Gordon Lakes - Prison governor (1928 to 2006)
- Arthur Lakes - Geologist, artist, writer (1844 to 1917)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.