NameCensus.

UK surname

Voakes

A surname derived from a variant pronunciation of the English place name "Oaks".

In the 1881 census there were 70 people recorded with the Voakes surname, ranking it #23,670 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 120, ranked #27,563, down from #23,670 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Binsted and Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harrogate, Kingston upon Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Voakes is 123 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.4%.

1881 census count

70

Ranked #23,670

Modern count

120

2016, ranked #27,563

Peak year

2003

123 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Voakes had 70 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,670 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016, ranked #27,563.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 100 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Voakes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Voakes surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Voakes 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 83 #19,181
1861 historical 57 #26,718
1881 historical 70 #23,670
1891 historical 82 #26,494
1901 historical 100 #22,863
1911 historical 94 #23,391
1997 modern 112 #25,244
1998 modern 115 #25,466
1999 modern 110 #26,315
2000 modern 112 #25,978
2001 modern 108 #26,184
2002 modern 119 #25,231
2003 modern 123 #24,497
2004 modern 109 #26,607
2005 modern 106 #27,044
2006 modern 110 #26,717
2007 modern 110 #27,087
2008 modern 108 #27,684
2009 modern 107 #28,483
2010 modern 110 #28,666
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 111 #28,332
2013 modern 114 #28,347
2014 modern 115 #28,439
2015 modern 115 #28,319
2016 modern 120 #27,563

Geography

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Where Voakes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Binsted, Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harrogate, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and South Lakeland. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Binsted Hampshire
3 Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harrogate 012 Harrogate
2 Harrogate 016 Harrogate
3 Kingston upon Hull 020 Kingston upon Hull, City of
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 018 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 South Lakeland 013 South Lakeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Voakes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Voakes

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Voakes is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Voakes is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Voakes falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Voakes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Voakes

The surname Voakes is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "wok" or "woke," which referred to a specific type of dwelling or habitation.

Historically, the name Voakes was most prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire in southwestern England. There are records of the name appearing in various documents and registers from these areas, including parish records and tax rolls. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327, which mentions a John Vokes.

While the Voakes name is not mentioned in the famous Domesday Book, which was a survey of land and property conducted in 1086, there are indications that it may have been related to certain place names or locations mentioned in the book. For instance, the village of Wokingham in Berkshire, which was recorded as "Wochenedoum" in the Domesday Book, could have been a potential source of the surname.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Voakes. One of the earliest was Robert Voakes, a merchant and landowner who lived in the 15th century and owned property in Somerset. Another notable figure was John Voakes (1582-1663), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stratton-on-the-Fosse in Somerset.

In the 18th century, Samuel Voakes (1714-1787) was a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament for Honiton in Devon. During the same period, William Voakes (1720-1802) was a successful businessman and landowner in Gloucestershire.

One of the more recent notable figures with the surname Voakes was Sir Arthur Voakes (1870-1945), a British businessman and engineer who played a significant role in the development of the automobile industry in the early 20th century.

While the surname Voakes is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Voakes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Voakes 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. Yorkshire leads with 48 Voakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.09x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 48 7.09x
Hampshire 11 7.86x
Sussex 5 4.34x
Surrey 2 0.60x
Berkshire 1 1.95x
Derbyshire 1 0.94x
Leicestershire 1 1.32x
Staffordshire 1 0.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bilton Cum Harrogate in Yorkshire leads with 12 Voakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 519.48x.

Place Total Index
Bilton Cum Harrogate 12 519.48x
Killinghall 8 5000.00x
Holy Trinity 7 43.02x
Selborne 6 2142.86x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 6 191.08x
Seaton Ross 4 3636.36x
York St Lawrence 4 563.38x
Binsted 3 566.04x
Climping 3 5000.00x
Brighton 2 8.61x
Barnsley 1 14.33x
Burton Upon Trent 1 18.55x
Croydon 1 5.41x
Fangfoss 1 2500.00x
Godalming 1 47.85x
Holme On Spalding Moor 1 227.27x
Holy Trinity St Mary 1 97.09x
Kingsley 1 909.09x
Leicester St Mary 1 16.34x
Sandhurst 1 101.01x
South Stoneham 1 32.89x
Southcoates 1 26.60x
Stapenhill 1 62.89x
York Holy Trinity 1 172.41x
York St Michael Le 1 454.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Emma 5
Elizabeth 4
Annie 3
Jane 3
Hannah 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Betsy 1
Clara 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 7
John 5
Thomas 5
Henry 3
Matthew 3
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Arthur 1
George 1
Harry 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Robert 1
Septimus 1

FAQ

Voakes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Voakes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 70 people were recorded with the Voakes surname. That placed it at #23,670 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Voakes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016. That gives Voakes a modern rank of #27,563.

What does the Voakes surname mean?

A surname derived from a variant pronunciation of the English place name "Oaks".

What does the Voakes map show?

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