Today I am writing about family surname history for Stokes. I am doing more in-depth research of all the surnames in my tree so have decided to share this as I work my way back through my tree. There are many great websites on the internet about family surname history and origins so join me on my family surname history discovery.
Family Surname History – Stokes
Stokes is an old name in England with its usage noted as far back as the 11th Century – Ailwin de Stokes, 1195, in the Pipe Rolls in Northamptonshire.1
Distribution of Stokes
According to Forebears, in 2014, Stokes was the 5,034th most common surname in the world with 108,490 having this surname.2 It is most prevalent in the United States but can be found in many other countries including England, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Wales, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, and Guatemala rounding out the top 10 incidences of this surname.2
The ancestors I have discovered in my tree with this surname are located in England where it is the 326th most common surname in the country, with 18,762 having this surname.2 In Australia, where I live, there are 7,693 people with this surname making in the 371st most common surname in the country.2
In England, Stokes is most commonly found in Middlesex, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire areas.1 In my genealogy research, I have found this family surname history to be congregated around the Stafford, Shortheath, Willenhall, and Wolverhampton areas of Staffordshire in the Midlands. The largest concentration of Stokes in my tree is from Staffordshire – Bloxwich, New Invention, Walsall; Birmingham and Warwickshire.
Meaning of the Surname Stokes
Stokes is a geographical based surname “of Stoke” denoting the location from where someone originated with many of the first known names being “de Stokes”.2
Stokes of Note
Here are a few famous Stokes in history:
Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet (1819-1903) – Irish Physicist and Mathematician.3
Sir Howard Frederick Stokes (1899-1977) – engineer, company director and hospital president from Victoria in Australia.4
Carl Stokes (1927-1996) – Lawyer, News Anchor, and Cleveland, Ohio’s first African American Mayor from 1967-1971.5
Constance “Connie” Stokes (1906-1991) – modernist Australian painter from Victoria.6
Ben Stokes (b.1991) – English international cricketer.7
isn’t it crazy that I’ve never done that kind of research on my last name? Following that link above, I saw that my family first appeared in written history in Tuscany, in 218 BC. Crazy stuff! Also learned about some notable relatives in the US that I hadn’t heard about. Thanks for the great lead, always stuff to learn on your site!
Hi Penelope
So glad that this post was a trigger for you to check out your name! I love House of Names – they have such a great array of surname products.
Regards,
Megan
Nice article on your family surname Stokes. I’ve never really thought about looking in to mine. I did try the House of Names search for my last name and it didn’t have any results. I am glad you are searching your family history I wish more people would do that these days. That way maybe they could see that things wasn’t all that easy.
Hi Fred
That is unfortunate that you weren’t able to find your surname. I would say you must have an unusual one – I know my children’s one is and it is hard to find information on it. Where does your surname come from originally?
Regards,
Megan
I have traced my Stokes ancestry back to Baron Geoffrey de Rie 943-980. His son was Baron Eudes Fitzgeoffrey de Rie that died in 1027 in Bayeux Normandie. His son was Sir Hubert de Rie, Steward of Normandie. His son, Baron Randdulph Fitzhubert de Praers e Stoke, Lord of Griech e Praers was the first ancestor to use the word Stoke in his name. He was born in Presles, Normandie and died in Stoke, England. His grandson was Sir Richard de Stokes, Knight, Baron of Colchester and Warkworth and died at Warkworth Castle in 1168. His descendants were the Lords of Stokes Hall. Adam de Stoke was the brother of my ancestor. All the people with the name Stokes are not related. They just had ancestors from several places called Stoke in England. My ancestor immigrated to the colonies in the early 1700’s. He was Sir William Stokes the Fifth. He and his sons had plantations in North Carolina, but moved later to South Carolina, where the Stokes plantation was located in Barnwell County. My great grandfather’s plantation was in Peeples, SC, where my father grew up.
In doing my research, I found it interesting how the Normands used a first name, then Fritz combined with their father’s name, followed by de and the place with which they were associated. My ancestors made doing research difficult by using the same names over and over. There were first cousins with the same name. Only their birth dates and wife’s name could be used to tell them apart. In my family, they were big on using only their initials, so J.A. could be John Alfred or James Allen. They had no idea we would be doing research.
Hello Kenneth
Wow! That is awesome you have been able to trace your Stokes line back so far. I am nowhere near that and my Stokes line stayed in the Staffordshire, UK region. My grandma was a Stokes and was born in New Invention and after she married she moved to Stafford. Her father died in Bloxwich where the family lived. Many of the records I need are in the Walsall Archives so the dream is to travel to the UK and take a year to do research in various archives around the UK.
Megan