NameCensus.

UK surname

Oakes

Derived from the Old English words "ac" or "ok," referring to someone who lived near oak trees.

In the 1881 census there were 4,336 people recorded with the Oakes surname, ranking it #1,029 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,022, ranked #956, up from #1,029 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Over, Wolstanton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oakes is 7,363 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.9%.

1881 census count

4,336

Ranked #1,029

Modern count

7,022

2016, ranked #956

Peak year

2002

7,363 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Oakes had 4,336 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,029 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,022 in 2016, ranked #956.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,377 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Oakes surname distribution map

The map shows where the Oakes surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Oakes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oakes over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,575 #1,147
1861 historical 2,609 #1,129
1881 historical 4,336 #1,029
1891 historical 4,702 #990
1901 historical 5,747 #968
1911 historical 6,377 #804
1997 modern 6,740 #963
1998 modern 7,293 #929
1999 modern 7,343 #928
2000 modern 7,297 #928
2001 modern 7,194 #918
2002 modern 7,363 #913
2003 modern 7,190 #914
2004 modern 7,193 #917
2005 modern 7,067 #917
2006 modern 7,052 #923
2007 modern 7,094 #925
2008 modern 7,102 #928
2009 modern 7,220 #933
2010 modern 7,298 #943
2011 modern 7,245 #935
2012 modern 7,062 #939
2013 modern 7,168 #943
2014 modern 7,172 #950
2015 modern 7,065 #955
2016 modern 7,022 #956

Geography

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Where Oakes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Over, Wolstanton, London parishes, Wigan and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Over Cheshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Wigan Lancashire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire West and Chester 038 Cheshire West and Chester
2 Cheshire East 019 Cheshire East
3 Cheshire West and Chester 042 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Cheshire East 024 Cheshire East
5 Cheshire East 027 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oakes

These lists show first names that appear often with the Oakes surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oakes

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Oakes, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Oakes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Oakes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Oakes is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Oakes is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Oakes falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Oakes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Oakes, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Oakes

The surname Oakes is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old English word 'ac', meaning oak tree. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent oak tree or in an area known for its oak trees.

One of the earliest records of the name Oakes can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'de Akes'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name appeared as 'Oke' and 'Okes' in various records. It is believed that the modern spelling 'Oakes' emerged in the 15th century, reflecting the plural form of the word 'oak'.

The name Oakes is also associated with several place names in England, such as Oakes in Yorkshire and Oakes in Derbyshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English word 'ac', indicating areas where oak trees were abundant.

One notable bearer of the name Oakes was Sir Henry Oakes (1558-1633), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. Another was Sir Nathaniel Oakes (1604-1683), a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Harvard College.

In the 18th century, Thomas Oakes (1727-1794) was a renowned English botanist and horticulturist, known for his work on plant classification and his extensive collection of rare plants.

Samuel Oakes (1573-1624) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his work 'The Arraignment of the Whole Creature at the Bar of Religion, Reason, and Experience'.

Sarah Oakes (1801-1848) was an American educator and activist, who played a significant role in the early women's rights movement and advocated for the education of women.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the surname Oakes throughout history, reflecting the name's long-standing presence and significance in English and American societies.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Oakes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oakes surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 955 Oakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.90x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 955 1.90x
Cheshire 653 6.99x
Staffordshire 488 3.42x
Yorkshire 446 1.06x
Middlesex 239 0.56x
Worcestershire 226 4.09x
Warwickshire 161 1.51x
Norfolk 149 2.29x
Suffolk 144 2.79x
Surrey 140 0.68x
Shropshire 83 2.27x
Derbyshire 77 1.16x
Kent 58 0.40x
Lincolnshire 50 0.74x
Nottinghamshire 50 0.88x
Hampshire 49 0.57x
Sussex 45 0.63x
Durham 32 0.25x
Lanarkshire 28 0.20x
Wiltshire 27 0.72x
Northumberland 26 0.41x
Cambridgeshire 25 0.93x
Somerset 19 0.28x
Essex 18 0.22x
Gloucestershire 18 0.22x
Leicestershire 18 0.38x
Berkshire 14 0.44x
Renfrewshire 11 0.34x
Devon 10 0.11x
Monmouthshire 8 0.26x
Glamorgan 7 0.10x
Denbighshire 6 0.38x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.71x
Midlothian 6 0.11x
Ayrshire 5 0.16x
Hertfordshire 5 0.17x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.16x
Channel Islands 4 0.32x
Cumberland 4 0.11x
Royal Navy 4 0.79x
Dorset 3 0.11x
Oxfordshire 3 0.11x
Cardiganshire 2 0.19x
Northamptonshire 2 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.15x
Anglesey 1 0.13x
Bedfordshire 1 0.05x
Brecknockshire 1 0.12x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Flintshire 1 0.09x
Isle of Man 1 0.13x
Westmorland 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolstanton in Staffordshire leads with 115 Oakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.51x.

Place Total Index
Wolstanton 115 26.51x
Birmingham 89 2.50x
Wharton 79 155.33x
Kidderminster Borough 65 20.10x
Hindley 59 27.56x
Over 59 62.16x
Burslem 58 14.18x
Westhoughton 53 39.56x
Monks Coppenhall 45 12.77x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 44 29.38x
Dudley 43 6.40x
Aston 42 1.43x
Oldbury 41 15.08x
Lambeth 37 1.00x
Manchester 37 1.64x
Camberwell 36 1.33x
Congleton 36 22.31x
Kirkdale 35 4.14x
Islington London 33 0.80x
Leeds 32 1.35x
Great Bolton 31 4.66x
Hackney London 31 1.31x
Biddulph 30 37.23x
Brighton 30 2.08x
Harborne 30 6.55x
Barton Upon Irwell 28 7.41x
Liverpool 28 0.92x
Stockport 27 5.62x
Westleigh 27 23.68x
Portsea 26 1.53x
Warrington 26 4.37x
Chorlton On Medlock 25 3.13x
Macclesfield 25 6.02x
Atherton 24 13.13x
Broseley 24 36.95x
Rainhill 24 74.63x
Stoke Upon Trent 24 1.58x
Cratfield 23 320.33x
Ribbesford 23 50.02x
Mirfield 22 9.56x
Toxteth Park 22 1.29x
South Lynn 21 28.61x
Hulme 20 1.91x
Kensington London 20 0.85x
Sheffield 20 1.50x
Didsbury 19 28.50x
Hunslet 19 2.91x
Madeley 19 14.18x
Wakefield 19 5.90x
West Derby 19 1.29x
Windle 19 6.73x
Ardwick 18 3.98x
Louth 18 11.61x
Widnes 18 4.97x
Gorton 17 3.60x
Halifax 17 2.76x
Ince In Makerfield 17 7.28x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 16 4.10x
Brightside Bierlow 16 1.95x
Buglawton 16 71.17x
Chadderton 16 6.52x
Elswick 16 3.18x
Ilkeston 16 8.62x
Morley 16 7.34x
Northowram 16 5.44x
Odd Rode 16 34.59x
Wolstanton Knutton 16 18.35x
Armley 15 8.11x
Checkley 15 40.44x
Deptford St Paul 15 1.35x
Ecclesall Bierlow 15 1.76x
Eccleston In Prescot 15 5.95x
Ellastone 15 370.37x
Haslington 15 57.10x
Kings Norton 15 3.03x
Radford 15 5.18x
Salford 15 1.02x
Urmston 15 46.05x
Ashton On Mersey 14 29.00x
Frodsham 14 38.70x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Oakes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 352
Sarah 179
Elizabeth 168
Ann 92
Ellen 83
Annie 74
Emma 74
Alice 70
Hannah 69
Jane 67
Margaret 61
Martha 57
Eliza 52
Emily 52
Harriet 31
Maria 31
Ada 26
Agnes 23
Clara 23
Edith 21
Florence 20
Louisa 20
Anne 19
Charlotte 18
Caroline 17
Esther 17
Catherine 16
Frances 15
Lucy 15
Susan 14
Elizth. 13
Harriett 13
Fanny 11
Rachel 11
Kate 10
Eleanor 9
Minnie 9
Sophia 9
Amelia 8
Ethel 8
Grace 8
Rebecca 8
Gertrude 7
Isabella 7
Julia 7
Ruth 7
Susannah 7
Beatrice 6
Lydia 6
Matilda 6

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Oakes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 239
William 229
Thomas 156
James 144
George 135
Joseph 92
Henry 77
Samuel 75
Charles 65
Edward 51
Arthur 43
Alfred 40
Robert 36
Harry 35
Frederick 30
Richard 30
Albert 29
Walter 29
David 25
Edwin 21
Peter 18
Francis 15
Benjamin 14
Ernest 14
Herbert 13
Wm. 13
Daniel 12
Ralph 12
Thos. 12
Frank 11
Enoch 9
Jonathan 7
Edmund 6
Fred 6
Jacob 6
Joshua 6
Elijah 5
Frederic 5
Leonard 5
Philip 5
Tom 5
Fredk. 4
Isaac 4
Lewis 4
Percy 4
Sidney 4
Solomon 4
Willm. 4
Jeremiah 3
Jno. 3

FAQ

Oakes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oakes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,336 people were recorded with the Oakes surname. That placed it at #1,029 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oakes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,022 in 2016. That gives Oakes a modern rank of #956.

What does the Oakes surname mean?

Derived from the Old English words "ac" or "ok," referring to someone who lived near oak trees.

What does the Oakes map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Oakes bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.