Roakes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Roakes

What does the name Roakes mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Roakes comes from when the family resided in the village of Rock found in the various locations that existed in Worcestershire, Devon and also in Northumberland. The surname also has topographic origins in that it describes the area where the original bearers lived. In this case they lived at some residence near a large boulder or rock face.

Early Origins of the Roakes family

The surname Roakes was first found in Worcestershire 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 Roakes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roakes research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1378, 1379, 1380, 1407 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Roakes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roakes Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Roakes has been recorded under many different variations, including Rock, Rocks, Roch, Rocke, Rocker, Rooker, Rucker and others.

Early Notables of the Roakes family

More information is included under the topic Early Roakes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Roakes family to Ireland

Some of the Roakes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Roakes family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Roakes or a variant listed above: Richard Rock settled in Virginia in 1663; Francis Rocke settled in Virginia in 1636; Andrew, Arthur, Frederick, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Theodore, Thomas and William Rock all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870..