Bake History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The distinguished surname Bake comes from the ancient culture of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the Old English "baecere," meaning "baker," and was first borne as an occupational name. 1 2 3
"Speaking generally, this surname is most numerous in the south of England, and diminishes rapidly in frequency as we proceed northward, until we reach the counties bordering Scotland, where it meets its extinction within sight of the Cheviot Hills. Baker is a name which prefers the coast; and the manner in which it abounds in almost all the coast counties of southern England (excluding Cornwall and Dorset), from Monmouth round to Suffolk, is very remarkable, and not at first sight intelligible. The counties of Monmouth, Somerset, Sussex, and Surrey stand foremost amongst those containing the greatest number of Bakers." 4
Early Origins of the Bake family
The surname Bake was first found in Norfolk, where the Pipe Rolls of 1177, list William le Bakere. Later in Lancashire, Robert Bakere was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1246 and Walter le Backere was listed in Hampshire in 1280. 5
Thirteenth century England was a very different place that today. Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Walter le Baker, Devon; William le Bakere, Oxfordshire; and Alan le Baker, Sussex. 6
In Somerset, records from the first year of King Edward III's reign listed: John le Baker; and Roger le Baker. 7
Early History of the Bake family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bake research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1611, 1620, 1625, 1652, 1655, 1658, 1659, 1660, 1683, 1685, 1689, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bake History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bake Spelling Variations
Although the name, Bake, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Baker, Bakere, Baiker, Backer and others.
Early Notables of the Bake family
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was
- Aaron Eli Baker (1620-1683), an English colonial agent of the Honourable East India Company, President of Madras (1652-1655)
- Thomas Baker (1625?-1689), an English mathematician, best known for producing a solution of biquadratic equations
- Samuel Baker, D.D. (d. 1658), a Church of England clergyman and divine
- James Baker (died 1689), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in 1659
- Alexander Baker (1611-1685), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Windsor (1660)
Migration of the Bake family to Ireland
Some of the Bake family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bake migration to the United States +
Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Bake family name Bake, or who bore a variation of the surname were
Bake Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Jacob Bake, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1636 8
- Joseph Bake, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 8
- Mary Bake, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 8
Bake Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Hannah Bake, who landed in Virginia in 1704 8
- Philip Bake, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 8
Bake Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Bake, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 8
- John Bake, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 8
- M Cath Bake, who landed in America in 1846 8
- George R Bake, aged 33, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1859 8
Citations +
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)