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

Lykes, 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 Lykes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lykes in America

Lykes is the 26630th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lykes surname appeared 915 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lykes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lykes 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 Lykes

The surname LYKES is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "lyke", which means "a body" or "a corpse". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as an undertaker or in a similar profession related to the handling of the deceased.

The earliest recorded instances of the LYKES surname can be found in various medieval documents from the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England. One notable example is the appearance of a "Robertus Lyke" in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1208. These rolls were financial records maintained by the Exchequer of the English monarchy.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was often spelled with variations such as "Lyke", "Lik", and "Lyk". These variations reflect the inconsistent spelling practices of the time before standardization became more common.

One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the LYKES surname was John Lyke, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of York in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in various historical records from the period, including the York Civic Records.

Another prominent figure was Sir William Lykes, a English military commander who served under King Henry VIII during the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the early 16th century. He was knighted for his service in the Battle of Flodden in 1513, where he played a significant role in the English victory.

In the 17th century, the LYKES surname appears to have spread beyond its northern English origins. Records show individuals bearing the name living in various parts of England, including London and the southern counties.

One notable example from this period is Thomas LYKES, an English clergyman and author who lived from 1625 to 1686. He served as the Rector of Radwinter in Essex and published several religious works during his lifetime.

As the centuries progressed, the LYKES surname continued to be found throughout England, with some individuals bearing the name also migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world, including the American colonies.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LYKES surname in America is that of John LYKES, who was born in England in 1650 and later immigrated to Virginia, where he settled in the late 17th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lykes

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

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 Lykes 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 Lykes 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 Lykes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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