The Oakes surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,499 people carried this name — #2,065 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 16,900 people counted. That is up 3% from 17,008 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Oakes surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the oak’.

An early record he cites: Adam at ye Ock, Shropshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Oak, Oake, Oakes and Oaks.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 565 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Oakes was found among the farmers of Cheshire: 12 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cheshire 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Oakes in American newspapers,
1894–1921.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Oakes
The Birmingham Age-herald 1908-11-01
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Oakes
The Evening World 1894-12-06
Newspaper page from The Beaver Herald carrying the name Oakes
The Beaver Herald 1921-10-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Oakes in Australian newspapers,
1800s–1990s.

47,947 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Oakes. The most, 20,465, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 33,196
Queensland 4,851
Victoria 3,457
Tasmania 3,353
South Australia 1,783
Western Australia 1,021
ACT (Canberra) 167
Northern Territory 49

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Oakes.

Who carried it

People named Oakes,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Oakes
    Thomas Oakes 1752–1834
  • Hildebrand Oakes
    Hildebrand Oakes 1754–1822 · military personnel
  • Hildebrand Oakes
    Hildebrand Oakes 1754–1822 · military personnel
  • George Oakes
    George Oakes 1755–1797 · naval officer
  • William H. Oakes d. 1890 · publisher
  • Margaret Kathleen Julia Oakes d. 1951

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Oakes,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,763 records

1,763 records of the Oakes name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 654
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 328
  • Other U.S. records 781
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Garland G. Oakes

    Born 1920 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Louisville, Kentucky; shipping clerk. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Walnut Ridge Cemetery, Jeffersonville, Indiana.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Christopher Columbus Oakes

    Born 1945; from Bessemer, Alabama. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Oakes

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the John Currier from Liverpool, aged 24; farmer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,763 records for Oakes in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia648 records

648 records of the Oakes name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 273
  • Tasmanian Names Index 169
  • Other Australian records 206
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Oakes

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Lyndoch, sailing from London in 1836. Native of Hindley, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Bothwell, Tasmania, aged 31.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Harriet Oakes

    Died 1847 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 48. Will registered in Tasmania in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Fabian Oscar Oakes

    Born 1905 in Hamilton, Tasmania. Died 1937 in Tasmania, aged 33.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 648 records for Oakes in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada324 records

324 records of the Oakes name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 242
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 19
  • Other Canadian records 63
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Henrietta Oakes

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 60; buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ed Oakes

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Caspian, landing at Quebec, bound for Brampton, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Cecil Roy Oakes

    Buried in 1979 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 75.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 324 records for Oakes in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom47 records

47 records of the Oakes name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 40
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 2
  • Other British records 5
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Oakes

    Born 1887 at Scroggie Mill; wool sorter. Died 1914. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Alexander Oakes

    Died 1996, aged 49; buried at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Oakes

    Will proved in 1930; of Burry Port.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 47 records for Oakes in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands11 records

11 records of the Oakes name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 7
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Thomas Alexander Oakes

    Married in 1945 in Nijmegen; driver. Died 1962 in Nijmegen, aged 43; "autospuiter".

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Francis Mabel Oakes

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1890 in Alsager.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Malcolm Francis Alec Oakes

    Married in 1946 in Eindhoven.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Oakes in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Oakes name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Lavinia Ada allen Oakes

    Died 1937, aged 58; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Amy Frances Oakes

    Died 1970, aged 78; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Esther Jane Oakes

    Died 1969, aged 52; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Oakes in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Oakes name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Lucien Henri Oakes

    Born 1905 in Roches-Bettaincourt (Haute-Marne); died 1981 in Châlons-sur-Marne (Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Oakes name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Alfred Oakes

    From Pasa, Brasilien. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 June 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Oakes.

When the index is not enough

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