| ![Show Contents]() Rakes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Wales The origins of the Welsh name Rakes go back to the ancient Celtic culture that existed in the hills and Moors of Wales. The forbears that initially held the name Rakes once lived near a pass or narrow valley. The surname Rakes is derived from the Old English word hraca, which means throat. The surname Rakes belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. However, the surname Rakes may be derived from residence at The Rake in Sussex, at Raikes Farm in Surrey, or at Raikes in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In this case, the surname Rakes belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the Rakes familyThe surname Rakes was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects. Early History of the Rakes familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rakes research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1690 and 1757 are included under the topic Early Rakes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rakes Spelling VariationsThe Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Rakes have included Raikes, Raike, Raik, Rakes, Rake and others. Early Notables of the Rakes familyMore information is included under the topic Early Rakes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rakes RankingIn the United States, the name Rakes is the 7,581st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
 Rakes migration to the United States | + |
North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Rakes:
Rakes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Phyllis Rakes and her husband settled in Antigua in 1684
Rakes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Weston Rakes, who settled in Virginia in 1752
| Rakes migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 2Rakes Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Andrew Rakes, who settled in Barbados in 1654
| Contemporary Notables of the name Rakes (post 1700) | + |
- Palmer Crawford "Pal" Rakes, American country music singer from Tampa, Florida
- Joel Rakes (b. 1986), American singer-songwriter and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Honestum praeferre utili
Motto Translation: To prefer the honest to the profitable.
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Rakes migration to the United States 
Rakes migration to West Indies 
