NameCensus.

UK surname

Oaks

Derived from a place name or a geographical location featuring oak trees.

In the 1881 census there were 546 people recorded with the Oaks surname, ranking it #6,327 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 122, ranked #27,255, down from #6,327 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Harborne, Over and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Lindsey, Suffolk Coastal and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oaks is 564 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 77.7%.

1881 census count

546

Ranked #6,327

Modern count

122

2016, ranked #27,255

Peak year

1861

564 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Oaks had 546 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,327 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016, ranked #27,255.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 564 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Oaks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Oaks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oaks 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 378 #6,315
1861 historical 564 #4,667
1881 historical 546 #6,327
1891 historical 560 #6,775
1901 historical 337 #10,735
1911 historical 174 #16,311
1997 modern 103 #26,498
1998 modern 99 #27,785
1999 modern 98 #28,050
2000 modern 101 #27,555
2001 modern 86 #29,281
2002 modern 87 #29,644
2003 modern 92 #28,974
2004 modern 87 #29,897
2005 modern 93 #29,133
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 100 #28,669
2008 modern 106 #28,016
2009 modern 108 #28,311
2010 modern 121 #27,005
2011 modern 110 #28,478
2012 modern 120 #26,961
2013 modern 115 #28,176
2014 modern 119 #27,813
2015 modern 115 #28,319
2016 modern 122 #27,255

Geography

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Where Oaks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Harborne, Over, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes and Gainsborough, Paddocks. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Lindsey, Suffolk Coastal, South Somerset, East Riding of Yorkshire and Maidstone. 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 Harborne Worcestershire
2 Over Cheshire
3 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 Gainsborough, Paddocks Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Lindsey 006 West Lindsey
2 Suffolk Coastal 007 Suffolk Coastal
3 South Somerset 008 South Somerset
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 021 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Maidstone 006 Maidstone

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oaks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oaks

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Oaks, 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 Oaks surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Oaks 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Oaks is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Oaks is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Oaks 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 Oaks 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 Oaks, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Oaks

The surname Oaks originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English word 'ac', meaning oak tree. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent oak tree or a place where oak trees were abundant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oaks can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1221, where a person named Robert de Okes was mentioned. The 'de' prefix indicates that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for someone's place of residence.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Oke, Oke, and Okes, in various parts of England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Hampshire. This suggests that the name originated independently in different regions, likely due to the widespread presence of oak trees across the country.

The Oaks name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which recorded landowners and their holdings. This indicates that the Oaks family had established themselves as landowners by that time.

One notable figure with the surname Oaks was Sir Henry Oaks (1585-1645), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1626 and 1628. He was also appointed as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in 1639.

Another prominent individual was John Oaks (1711-1775), an English clockmaker and inventor from Warrington, Lancashire. He is credited with developing the anchor escapement, a significant improvement in the design of pendulum clocks, which enhanced their accuracy and reliability.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Oaks surname is found in the Virginia colonial records from the 17th century. Samuel Oaks (1648-1720) was an English settler who arrived in Virginia in the late 1600s and became a successful planter and landowner.

The Oaks family tree also includes Sir Hildebrand Oakes (1610-1676), an English politician and baronet who served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the 1660s. He was also a prominent landowner and held estates in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

Finally, Sir Harry Oakes (1874-1943) was a wealthy American-born gold mine owner and philanthropist who made his fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush. He was knighted by King George VI in 1939 for his contributions to the war effort during World War II.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Oaks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oaks 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 88 Oaks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.41x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 88 1.41x
Cheshire 50 4.31x
Yorkshire 50 0.96x
Middlesex 37 0.70x
Surrey 33 1.29x
Lincolnshire 32 3.81x
Kent 23 1.28x
Norfolk 22 2.72x
Warwickshire 22 1.66x
Suffolk 21 3.28x
Durham 19 1.21x
Hampshire 19 1.76x
Staffordshire 17 0.96x
Worcestershire 16 2.33x
Devon 14 1.28x
Renfrewshire 13 3.19x
Berkshire 11 2.79x
Derbyshire 11 1.34x
Lanarkshire 8 0.47x
Wiltshire 6 1.29x
Northumberland 4 0.51x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.56x
Brecknockshire 3 2.85x
Essex 3 0.29x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.60x
Glamorgan 2 0.22x
Gloucestershire 2 0.19x
Shropshire 2 0.44x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.21x
Clackmannanshire 1 2.30x
Leicestershire 1 0.17x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.60x
Somerset 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Over in Cheshire leads with 30 Oaks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 254.24x.

Place Total Index
Over 30 254.24x
Great Bolton 20 24.20x
Abbey 13 20.91x
Shoreditch London 13 5.70x
Wilnecote 12 315.79x
Bromsgrove 11 47.60x
Gainsborough 11 55.50x
Reading St Giles 11 28.41x
Dover St Mary Virgin 10 57.60x
Hackney London 10 3.39x
Hindley 10 37.59x
Rotherhithe 10 15.39x
Buxton 9 129.12x
Haltham 8 2857.14x
Nayland 8 493.83x
Aston 7 1.92x
Bow London 7 10.46x
Harborne 7 12.31x
Heigham 7 16.13x
Sutton 7 33.46x
Tormoham 7 15.12x
Whickham 7 48.64x
Alverstoke 6 15.38x
Armley 6 26.11x
Barnsley 6 11.16x
Bothwell 6 13.01x
Dewsbury 6 11.23x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 6 24.72x
Liverpool 6 1.58x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 6 94.49x
Louth 6 31.14x
Skeffling 6 2000.00x
Darlington 5 8.28x
Greenwich 5 5.97x
Huddersfield 5 6.59x
Lower Bebington 5 72.46x
Newington 5 2.57x
Oldbury 5 14.80x
Stoke Damerel 5 6.53x
Titchfield 5 61.58x
Wandsworth 5 9.88x
Windle 5 14.24x
Worsley 5 13.00x
Burcombe 4 714.29x
Camberwell 4 1.19x
Gorton 4 6.82x
Holdenhurst 4 14.15x
Hulme 4 3.07x
Lambeth 4 0.87x
Middleton In Hunslet 4 547.95x
Newcastle Under Lyme 4 12.74x
Ryhope 4 36.83x
Scole Cum Frenze 4 338.98x
Thornton Curtis 4 470.59x
Withersdale 4 1428.57x
Worleston 4 655.74x
Altrincham 3 14.79x
Barton Upon Irwell 3 6.39x
Bedford 3 22.99x
Didsbury 3 36.23x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 2.83x
Gillingham 3 8.11x
Haigh 3 138.25x
Islington London 3 0.59x
Manchester 3 1.07x
Mansfield 3 12.23x
Ringsfield 3 588.24x
Rochester St Margaret 3 15.86x
Barnton 2 72.20x
Brecknock St John 2 22.55x
Docking 2 78.74x
Foleshill 2 14.34x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 2 2.95x
Henstead 2 206.19x
Llangeinor 2 37.11x
Madeley 2 12.00x
Old Monkland 2 2.96x
Paddington London 2 1.03x
Rusholme 2 12.02x
Spotland 2 2.88x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 37
George 27
Thomas 23
James 22
William 22
Charles 12
Joseph 9
Robert 8
Samuel 8
Edward 7
Arthur 6
Alfred 5
Henry 5
Walter 5
Albert 4
David 4
Harry 3
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Fredrick 2
Nathaniel 2
Reuben 2
Richard 2
Thos. 2
W. 2
Antony 1
C. 1
Chas.Hy. 1
Clayton 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Fred 1
Gedion 1
Geo. 1
Geo.H. 1
Hedley 1
Herbert 1
Jonathan 1
Jonethon 1
Joshua 1
Lewis 1
Luke 1
Mathew 1
Patrick 1
Peter 1
Richd.E. 1
Rueben 1
Wm.C. 1

FAQ

Oaks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oaks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 546 people were recorded with the Oaks surname. That placed it at #6,327 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oaks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016. That gives Oaks a modern rank of #27,255.

What does the Oaks surname mean?

Derived from a place name or a geographical location featuring oak trees.

What does the Oaks map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Oaks 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.