WILKES
Wilkes is a surname of purely English provenance, found within the British Isles since the early thirteenth century.
The name is a patronymic form of the given name William, which itself derives from the Old German Wilhelm. This compound name is made up of the elements wil, meaning will or desire, and helm, meaning helmet or protection. It was introduced to England by the Normans at the time of the Conquest of 1066, in the French forms Guillaume and Guillerme, and rapidly became the most frequent male name in the country.
The suffix -kin, a diminutive, is applied to Wil to form the pet name Wilkin, from which the medieval personal name Wilk is derived. A patronymic surname such as Wilkes therefore literally means “son of Wilk,” and communicates descent from someone bearing that diminutive form of William.
Variations of the spelling include Wilks and Wilk; the earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 under the spelling John Wilkys.
Records of the family in London church registers date back to the mid‑sixteenth century. In November 1540 the marriage of Thomas Wilkes to Alice Clercke was documented at St. Lawrence Jewry and St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street. In September 1548 the union of John Wilkes and Elyzabethe Wynsor was registered at Christchurch, Greyfriars, Newgate. These entries attest to the established presence of the family in urban England during this period.
A notable member of the family was Sir Thomas Wilkes (1545–1598), who served as a diplomat for Queen Elizabeth the First and was a Member of Parliament for Southampton between 1588 and 1593. His career demonstrates the social standing that the surname could achieve during the Elizabethan era.
By the eighteenth century, individuals bearing the surname were identified throughout England, often in roles ranging from local governance to emerging industrial enterprises. The continuity of the name from the thirteenth to the twenty‑first century underscores its resilience and the enduring legacy of the patronymic tradition within English nomenclature.
Typical given names associated with the Wilkes surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Janet
- Joanne
- Julie
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sarah
- 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 Wilkes in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Wilkes are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Cookie.
There are approximately 13,310 people named Wilkes in the UK. That makes it the 676th most common surname in Britain. Around 204 in a million people in Britain are named Wilkes.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Wilkes
- Maurice Wilkes - Computer scientist (1913 to 2010)
- Jonathan Wilkes - Actor-singer
- Michael Wilkes - Army general (1940 to 2013)
- Steve Wilkes - Professional football player
- Dave Wilkes - Football player
- John Wilkes - Archaeologist
- Albert Wilkes - Football player (1874 to 1936)
- Alexander Wilkes - Cricketer (1900 to 1937)
- Fred Wilkes - Football player (1883 to 1942)
- Mary Hayley née Wilkes - Businesswoman (1728 to 1808)
- Trudi Wilkes - Actress
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.