Wykes

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Wykes is a very old surname from an English origin. The current distribution of Wykes' tends to be in the UK and the former British Colonies. There are Wykes' living in the United Kingdom, Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand and even India.

Variants

Over centuries the surname has changed and now has variants. Some of the present-day variants include Wecks, Week, Weeks, Whicks, Whikes, Whykes, Wick, Wickes, Wicks, Wix, Wycha and Wyke. It is likely that one source of the name originates in Saxon times. A wyke was the Saxon term for a dairying hamlet, or small village.

History

Wykes is not a common surname, but it is definitely an old one. That it is an English name seems certain, although some of the alternate spellings have more recent Scandinavian or Germanic origins. Wykes was one of the original 5 or 6 pre-Norman surnames in England.

The earliest written record of the name is in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle of AD 1002 which mentions one Sygmund Wycha, "freeholder and huntsman".

Famous Wykes'

Some famous Wykes' include Walter Wykes (American playwright and actor), Thomas Wykes (English chronicler), Ted Wykes (Australian cricket Test match umpire) and Sarah Wykes (British human rights activist).

References

• Surname Genealogy Search
• The World WYKES Web

External links

• The World WYKES Web