Find out how popular the last name Akey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Akey.

Akey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Akey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Akey in America

Akey is the 16755th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Akey surname appeared 1,706 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Akey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Akey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Akey

The surname AKEY is believed to have originated in England, likely during the late medieval period or the early modern era. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has changed over time.

One theory suggests that AKEY may have originated from a place name containing the Old English word "ac," meaning "oak tree." This could indicate that the name referred to someone who lived near a prominent oak tree or in an area with a significant number of oak trees.

Another possible origin of the name AKEY is that it may have been a variation or corruption of the surname "Ackroyd," which has its roots in the Old Norse words "akr" (field) and "rūthr" (cleared land). This would suggest that the name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a cleared field.

While there are no definitive historical records linking the name AKEY to specific individuals or events, some early examples of the surname can be found in various documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. For instance, the name appears in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, in the late 1500s.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname AKEY was John Akey, who was born in the village of Wrentham, Suffolk, England, around 1620. He later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the mid-17th century.

Another notable AKEY was William Akey, a merchant and landowner from Northamptonshire, England, who lived in the late 17th century. He was involved in the wool trade and owned several properties in the area.

In the 18th century, the name AKEY can be found in various records from the county of Gloucestershire, England. One example is Thomas Akey, a farmer from the village of Lechlade, who was born in 1735.

Moving into the 19th century, there was a notable family of AKEYs in the county of Wiltshire, England. One member of this family was George Akey, a successful businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1820 to 1895.

Finally, in the early 20th century, there was a famous English cricketer named Cyril Akey, who played for the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He was born in 1898 and had a successful career as a right-arm fast bowler.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Akey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Akey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Akey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Akey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Akey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Akey, please contact us.

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