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

Shakes, 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 Shakes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shakes in America

Shakes is the 59017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shakes surname appeared 343 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 Shakes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shakes 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 Shakes

The surname SHAKES has its origins in England, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "sceacere," which means "to shake" or "to tremble." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a trembling or shaky demeanor or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a William Shakes is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1412, which lists a John Shakes.

The name SHAKES is closely associated with the renowned English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare (1564-1616), who is considered one of the greatest writers in the English language. Although the spelling of his surname differs slightly, it is widely accepted that the name SHAKES originated from the same root.

In the 16th century, the name SHAKES appeared in various records across different counties in England, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1558, mentioning a Robert Shakes, and the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire in 1572, which recorded a William Shakes.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Shakes (1505-1591), an English clergyman and reformer who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1550 to 1554 during the reign of Edward VI.

In the 17th century, the SHAKES surname can be found in various parish records and historical documents. One example is the Parish Registers of St. Mary's, Redcliffe in Bristol, which recorded the marriage of Robertus Shakes in 1622.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the SHAKES surname was Robert Shakes (1738-1825), an English engraver and artist known for his topographical prints and views of English cities and landscapes.

Throughout the 19th century, the SHAKES name continued to appear in various records and documents across different regions of England, further solidifying its presence as a well-established English surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shakes

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

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

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

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