WEEKES
Weekes is an English surname that traces its roots to the Middle English word wike or wik, signifying a dairy farm or a place where cheese was produced. The name is, therefore, an occupational surname, originally bestowed upon those who worked in or owned such establishments, and later extended to include individuals associated with the production or sale of dairy products, most notably cheese.
The surname has several orthographic variants, including Wikes, Wicks, and Wix, all of which share a common etymological ancestry. These variations reflect the fluidity of spelling in medieval English, where phonetic transcription often took precedence over standardised orthography.
In addition to its occupational connotation, Weekes can also be considered either topographical or locational. As a topographical name, it denoted a person who resided in an outlying settlement attached to a larger village. The derivation stems from the Old English pre‑7th Century word wic, itself borrowed from the Latin vicus, meaning settlement, hamlet, dwelling-place or, in the specific context of dairy farming, a farm’s name. As a locational surname, it may have arisen from any number of place names incorporating the wic element, such as Gatwick, denoting a goat farm; Cheswick, meaning cheese farm; or Greenwich, which may refer either to a grass farm or simply to a green place.
The earliest documentary reference to the family name appears in the 1184 Worcestershire Pipe Rolls, where a person named Goscelin del Wich is recorded during the reign of King Henry XI. Subsequent early baptisms include Margrett Weekes, christened at St Botolphs Church, Bishopgate, London on 29 September 1568, and John Weekes, christened at St Martins in the Field, Westminster on 22 March 1570. These entries confirm the continued use of the name in England during the late Sixteenth Century.
In the early seventeenth century, a notable bearer of the name, John Weekes, was recorded as one of the earliest emigrants to the New World colonies of America. He departed from London on the ship Primrose on 25 July 1635, bound for Virginia, thereby contributing to the early English settlement of North America.
In 1620, the Weekes family of Devon was awarded a heraldic achievement. The granted coat of arms features an ermine field charged with three black battle axes, a design that provides a visual representation of the family's identity and status during that period.
Throughout the centuries, bearers of the Weekes surname remained concentrated within England, particularly in the southern and eastern regions. Its derivation from occupational and locational roots offers insight into the social and economic contexts in which the name emerged and evolved.
Typical given names associated with the Weekes surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Ann
- Charmaine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Lisa
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
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 Weekes in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 3,818 people named Weekes in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,442nd most common surname in Britain. Around 59 in a million people in Britain are named Weekes.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Weekes
- Desirée Annette "Des’ree" Weekes - Pop and soul singer
- Lesroy Weekes - West Indian born cricketer
- Henry Weekes - Sculptor (1807 to 1877)
- Nick Weekes - Cricketer
- Ambrose Weekes - Anglican Suffragan Bishop in Europe (1919 to 2012)
- Donald Weekes - Cricketer
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.