SPEAKS
Speaks is an English surname with a history that extends back over nine centuries. Its earliest recorded appearance is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named William Spec is mentioned in Bedfordshire.
The name is derived from the Middle English word speke, a form of the Old English verb specan, meaning “to speak.” Consequently, it was originally used as a nickname or occupational name for someone who was noted for his or her speaking ability, such as a town crier, a spokesman, or a professional story‑teller.
One alternative derivation relates the surname to the bird woodpecker. The medieval nickname was based on the Old French word espeche, which in Middle English became spek(e); this is similar to other English surnames that are taken from bird names, for example Lark, Nightingale, Swan and Heron.
Another possible origin is locational. A place called Speke in Lancashire is recorded in the Domesday Book as Spec. The place name means “brushwood”, from the Old English word spaec meaning “twigs” or “dry brushwood”. This locational source produced a number of early individuals who bore the name, such as Walter Espec in 1130 (Yorkshire) and Ailfwin Speke in 1180 (Buckinghamshire).
Throughout the Middle Ages the spelling of the name varied considerably. Documents show forms such as Speke, Speach, Speack, Speake, and others. The 1641 record of the marriage between George Speak and Mary Pye at St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, London, illustrates the persistence of the surname in the British Isles.
In the United Kingdom the surname has remained relatively uncommon, but it can still be found, notably in areas with strong historical ties to English settlement. In the United States and Canada it has been more frequently recorded, owing to immigration from Britain and Ireland. According to the 2019 United States Census, Speaks ranked as the six thousandth‑sixth most common surname, with the highest densities in North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania. It is also present in New England, Appalachia and the Southern states, reflecting the patterns of British and Irish settlement.
Variants of the surname include Speak, Spake, Spick, Speck, Speight, Spight and Speki. While most of these share a common origin in the verb specan or have occupational associations, some, such as Speck, arise from the Middle English word speke. Others, most notably Spick and Speck, emerged from occupational contexts unrelated to speaking, for example the sale of spices or the handling of certain types of land.
Although not among the most frequent family names in contemporary society, the surname Speaks carries with it a rich linguistic and cultural heritage that reflects the social roles of speaking, public announcement and local geography within medieval England.
Typical given names associated with the Speaks surname
Male
- Clive
Female
- Karina
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 Speaks in...
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There are approximately 15 people named Speaks in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Fewer than one in a million people in Britain are named Speaks.
