Oakes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, borne by various people over the centuries and shared by several notable figures in fields such as law, politics and the arts
2. A surname found in English-speaking countries, carried by many individuals across different generations and walks of life
3. A family name that belongs to a number of people, traditionally linked with English origins and widely used across the English-speaking world

Etymology: Oakes is a surname, and its most likely origin is the plural of "oak". Surnames of this kind often began as nicknames or house names, so a family might have been known as "the one by the oaks" or simply as someone who lived among the trees. English surnames formed from plurals of nature words are a recognisable pattern, and the same logic produced names like "Woods" and "Hills". The surname may also have a quite different source. Among the Irish, "Mac Dubhdara" means "son of Dubhdara", a personal name built from "dubh" meaning "black" and "darach", the genitive of "dair", meaning "oak". Over time, an Irish name of this kind could be partly translated into English, giving a family name that looks like a simple plural of "oak" while carrying an Irish personal name at its heart. The two origins can therefore lead to the same spelling, so the English form does not reveal which family line it came from.