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Lake Family History

Lake Surname Meaning

English (mainly West Country): topographic name usually for someone who lived by a streamlet (Middle English lak(e) Old English lacu) or who lived at or came from any of the places so named such as Lack in Church Stoke (Shropshire) and Lake in Wilsford near Amesbury (Wiltshire). Lake is a common minor placename in Devon.

English: occasionally perhaps a topographic name for someone who lived by a lake or pool (Middle English Old French lake), though it is uncertain that this word was current in ordinary vocabulary during the main period of surname formation (1250–1400).

North German and Dutch: habitational name from any of several places in Westphalia and Lower Saxony so named, or a topographic name from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch lake ‘swamp, swampy meadow’ (Middle Dutch also ‘border water’).

Americanized form (translation into English) of Finnish Järvinen, an ornamental name based on järvi ‘lake’ (see Jarvinen).

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


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Where is the Lake family from?

You can see how Lake families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lake family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lake families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 546 Lake families living in Ontario. This was about 55% of all the recorded Lake's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Lake families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lake surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Lake ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Lake. 34% of Lake men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Lake women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lake were Carpenter and Operator.

View Census Data for Lake | 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    34%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    13%
  • Clerk
    13%
  • Servant
    13%
  • Operator
    8%

What Lake family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 327,000 census records available for the last name Lake. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lake census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Lake

Passenger Lists

There are 29,000 immigration records available for the last name Lake. 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 Lake immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 57,000 military records available for the last name Lake. For the veterans among your Lake ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lake military records

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