Doak
A Scottish and Irish surname usually linked to a short form of a personal name, though the exact origin is not fully settled.
The #9,307 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,263 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Doak is generally treated as a diminutive or pet-form surname, but the precise source is uncertain. Some older surname books connect it with a Gaelic personal name, while others place it near older English or Scots forms that could have been used as nicknames or given-name pet forms. In short, it likely began as a family-name formed from a personal name rather than from a place or occupation.
History
Doak is found especially in Scotland and in Ulster, where many surnames moved between Scots and Irish usage. In later centuries it also appears in North America, carried by emigrants and their descendants. The historical sources consulted here mention the surname only incidentally, so the exact derivation remains somewhat open.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname has close-looking historical neighbors such as Doig and Doag, which sometimes get discussed together in older name dictionaries.
From the historical record
“Ourtmanae.— Nick, for ,_. remarkable for the cut, Ac, of hia courlepy, or doak ; v. Curtepy. Henry CBitiBanlel. PP. Curt viilour.— Nick, for one whose courage was short-lived, a”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances