2000
#1,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.30
Uncommon Last name
Oakes
Derived from the Old English words "ac" or "ok," referring to someone who lived near oak trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,593 Americans carry the last name Oakes. That puts it at #2,061 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,494 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oakes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Oakes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,494
Census rank
#2,061
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,086 bearers of the surname Oakes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2061st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oakes
The surname Oakes is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old English word 'ac', meaning oak tree. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent oak tree or in an area known for its oak trees.
One of the earliest records of the name Oakes can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'de Akes'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name appeared as 'Oke' and 'Okes' in various records. It is believed that the modern spelling 'Oakes' emerged in the 15th century, reflecting the plural form of the word 'oak'.
The name Oakes is also associated with several place names in England, such as Oakes in Yorkshire and Oakes in Derbyshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English word 'ac', indicating areas where oak trees were abundant.
One notable bearer of the name Oakes was Sir Henry Oakes (1558-1633), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. Another was Sir Nathaniel Oakes (1604-1683), a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Harvard College.
In the 18th century, Thomas Oakes (1727-1794) was a renowned English botanist and horticulturist, known for his work on plant classification and his extensive collection of rare plants.
Samuel Oakes (1573-1624) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his work 'The Arraignment of the Whole Creature at the Bar of Religion, Reason, and Experience'.
Sarah Oakes (1801-1848) was an American educator and activist, who played a significant role in the early women's rights movement and advocated for the education of women.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the surname Oakes throughout history, reflecting the name's long-standing presence and significance in English and American societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oakes
Among Census respondents with the surname Oakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Oakes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Oakes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 14,985
- Black or African American3.6% · 621
- Two or more races3.6% · 618
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 549
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 144
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oakes
Oakes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,499
+491 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Down 122 places
2020
#2,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,086
-413 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 5.72
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,943 | 17,008 | 6.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,065 | 17,499 | 5.93 | +491 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 122 places |
| 2020 | #2,061 | 17,086 | 5.72 | -413 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Oakes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,065 | #2,061 | 0.2% |
| Count | 17,499 | 17,086 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.93 | 5.72 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oakes bearers went from 17,499 to 17,086 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,065 to #2,061.
FAQ
Oakes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oakes?
Name Census estimates that about 19,593 living Americans carry the surname Oakes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,494 residents.
How common is Oakes?
Oakes ranks #2,061 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,086 people with the surname Oakes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Oakes.
Has Oakes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oakes went from 17,499 recorded bearers to 17,086. That is a decrease of 413 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,065 to #2,061.
What does the Census say about the background of Oakes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oakes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (14,985 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oakes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Oakes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Oakes mean?
Derived from the Old English words "ac" or "ok," referring to someone who lived near oak trees. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Oakes (5.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Oakes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Oakes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.