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

Speaks, 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 Speaks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Speaks in America

Speaks is the 9150th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Speaks surname appeared 3,565 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 Speaks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Speaks 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 Speaks

The surname "SPEAKS" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "specan," meaning "to speak" or "to utter words." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a public speaker, orator, or town crier.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from 1273, which lists a Johannes le Speker. The name is also mentioned in other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Pipe Rolls of Sussex and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.

The surname "SPEAKS" has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Spekes Bourne in Suffolk and Speaks Hill in Worcestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.

Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname "SPEAKS" throughout history are:

1. Thomas Speaks (c. 1600-1680), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the English Civil War.

2. Richard Speaks (1631-1698), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the Sabbath."

3. John Speaks (1767-1838), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Admiral.

4. Sarah Speaks (1820-1892), an American educator and activist who was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in Ohio.

5. William Speaks (1867-1945), a British architect known for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Iveagh Bequest and the Finsbury Health Centre.

While the surname "SPEAKS" has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the historical records mentioned above provide valuable insights into the early development and significance of this surname in its country of origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Speaks

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!