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Drakes Family History

Drakes Name Meaning

English: variant of Drake with post-medieval excrescent -s. English: habitational name from Drax (Yorkshire). The placename probably derives from Old English dræg ‘portage place where boats are dragged’ or dræg ‘drag net’ influenced by Old Norse drag ‘portage’ with a plural drages being shortened to drags Drax. In some cases perhaps an Americanized form of some similar (like-sounding) cognate in some other language.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Drake, Dravis, Rakes, Draves, Dragos, Dickes, Rokes, Oakes, Dawes

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Drakes family from?

You can see how Drakes families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Drakes family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Drakes families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 18 Drakes families living in Ontario. This was about 95% of all the recorded Drakes's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Drakes families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Drakes surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Drakes ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Drakes. 43% of Drakes men worked as a Laborer and 32% of Drakes women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Drakes were Labor and Cook. .

View Census Data for Drakes | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    43%
  • Farmer
    13%
  • Cook
    8%
  • Labor
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    32%
  • Servant
    16%
  • Laundry
    12%
  • Cook
    12%
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What Drakes family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 6,000 census records available for the last name Drakes. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Drakes census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Drakes

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Drakes. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Drakes immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 578 military records available for the last name Drakes. For the veterans among your Drakes ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Drakes military records

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What is the average Drakes lifespan?

Between 1959 and 2004, in the United States, Drakes life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Drakes in 1959 was 42, and 54 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Drakes

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