NameCensus.

UK surname

Okey

A variant spelling of "Oakey," a topographic surname referring to a location near oak trees.

In the 1881 census there were 152 people recorded with the Okey surname, ranking it #15,372 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 159, ranked #22,798, down from #15,372 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Andrew, St Leonard Shoreditch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Birmingham, Lewisham and Redcar and Cleveland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Okey is 241 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.6%.

1881 census count

152

Ranked #15,372

Modern count

159

2016, ranked #22,798

Peak year

1911

241 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Okey had 152 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,372 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016, ranked #22,798.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 241 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Okey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Okey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Okey 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 223 #9,562
1861 historical 152 #15,126
1881 historical 152 #15,372
1891 historical 230 #13,494
1901 historical 220 #14,245
1911 historical 241 #13,229
1997 modern 167 #19,722
1998 modern 171 #19,956
1999 modern 166 #20,458
2000 modern 161 #20,822
2001 modern 156 #20,974
2002 modern 162 #20,839
2003 modern 158 #20,952
2004 modern 152 #21,628
2005 modern 150 #21,786
2006 modern 147 #22,221
2007 modern 147 #22,510
2008 modern 150 #22,429
2009 modern 160 #21,978
2010 modern 171 #21,481
2011 modern 163 #21,983
2012 modern 163 #21,989
2013 modern 168 #21,914
2014 modern 174 #21,561
2015 modern 166 #22,159
2016 modern 159 #22,798

Geography

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Where Okeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Andrew, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Haslingfield and Stroud, Whaddon, Longney, Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Haresfield, Standish, Moreton Valence, Saul, Fret. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Birmingham, Lewisham, Redcar and Cleveland, Forest of Dean and Halton. 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 St Andrew Glamorganshire
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Haslingfield Cambridgeshire
5 Stroud, Whaddon, Longney, Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Haresfield, Standish, Moreton Valence, Saul, Fret Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Birmingham 128 Birmingham
2 Lewisham 010 Lewisham
3 Redcar and Cleveland 006 Redcar and Cleveland
4 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean
5 Halton 009 Halton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Okey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Okey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Okey, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Okey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Okey 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Okey 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

Okey is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Okey falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Okey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Okey

The surname OKEY originates from England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to derive from the Old English word "ac," meaning oak, which was often used as a toponymic reference to places where oak trees were abundant.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John de Oke residing in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a specific location before evolving into a hereditary surname.

In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as Oke, Oak, and Oake, appear in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a William Oke among the taxpayers. These early spellings reflect the influence of regional dialects on the pronunciation and spelling of the name.

By the 16th century, the spelling OKEY had emerged, as evidenced by the marriage record of Johanne Okey in the parish of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in 1591. This spelling likely arose from the pronunciation of the name in certain regions, where the final syllable was emphasized.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname OKEY include:

1. Thomas Okey (c. 1617-1662), an English soldier and regicide who was involved in the trial and execution of King Charles I. He was later executed for his role in the event.

2. John Okey (1608-1662), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and was also involved in the regicide of King Charles I. He was condemned to death but escaped execution by fleeing to the Netherlands.

3. William Okey (1835-1918), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia and played a significant role in the establishment of the state's education system.

4. Robert Okey (1564-1654), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1629 to 1654.

5. Thomas Okey (1779-1846), an English engraver and artist known for his topographical views and architectural illustrations of various cities and buildings in England.

The surname OKEY has also been associated with several place names, such as Oakey in Shropshire, which may have contributed to the development of the name in certain regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Okey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Okey 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. Middlesex leads with 32 Okeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.23x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 32 2.23x
Gloucestershire 22 7.82x
Glamorgan 18 7.21x
Yorkshire 17 1.20x
Warwickshire 13 3.60x
Durham 12 2.81x
Kent 7 1.43x
Hampshire 5 1.70x
Northamptonshire 5 3.71x
Cambridgeshire 4 4.40x
Suffolk 4 2.29x
Lancashire 2 0.12x
Surrey 2 0.29x
Essex 1 0.35x
Hertfordshire 1 1.01x
Leicestershire 1 0.63x
Worcestershire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 13 Okeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.06x.

Place Total Index
Aston 13 13.06x
Middlesbrough 9 48.65x
Cardiff St Andrews 8 2857.14x
Paddington London 8 15.17x
Deptford St Paul 7 18.55x
Barnard Castle 6 284.36x
Kingstanley 6 576.92x
Linthorpe 6 70.75x
St Pancras London 6 5.20x
Northampton St Sepulchre 5 72.89x
Shoreditch London 5 8.05x
Stroud 5 91.41x
Charlton Kings 4 205.13x
Haslingfield 4 1081.08x
Southampton St Mary 4 21.65x
Ystradyfodwg 4 18.26x
Chelsea London 3 6.94x
Cogan 3 810.81x
Darlington 3 18.21x
Ipswich St Margaret 3 50.59x
Stockton On Tees 3 14.59x
Willesden 3 22.19x
Bridlington 2 61.54x
Cardiff St Mary 2 14.55x
Droylsden 2 36.04x
Islington London 2 1.44x
Minchinhampton 2 89.29x
Painswick 2 100.50x
Colchester St James 1 86.96x
Crowle 1 384.62x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 1 19.42x
Great Bowden 1 68.97x
Great Cornard 1 250.00x
Hampstead London 1 4.48x
Harrow 1 45.66x
Kensington London 1 1.25x
Llantrisant 1 15.90x
Newington 1 1.89x
Northchurch 1 94.34x
Rodborough 1 73.53x
Slimbridge 1 238.10x
Southampton All Sts 1 19.84x
St Andrew Holborn 1 20.58x
Walton On Thames 1 31.15x
Westminster St John 1 5.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
James 7
William 7
John 5
George 4
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Edward 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Barnabas 1
Benjamin 1
Benjm. 1
Cornelius 1
Douglas 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Jeremiah 1
Jonah 1
Percy 1
Shadrack 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Willm.H. 1

FAQ

Okey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Okey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 152 people were recorded with the Okey surname. That placed it at #15,372 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Okey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016. That gives Okey a modern rank of #22,798.

What does the Okey surname mean?

A variant spelling of "Oakey," a topographic surname referring to a location near oak trees.

What does the Okey map show?

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