Stokes
A classic English locational surname, originally meaning someone who came from a place called Stoke or Stokes.
The #542 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,009 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Stokes is the plural or possessive form of Stoke, a common English place-name from Old English "stoc" or related forms meaning a settlement, dwelling place, outlying farm, or estate. In surname use, it usually identified someone "of Stoke" or from one of the many places called Stoke, with the final -s often marking a place of origin. Some 19th-century writers also noted possible confusion with the surname Stocks, but the locational explanation is the standard one.
History
The surname appears in medieval records very early, including forms such as de Stokes in 13th-century documents. Because there were many places called Stoke across England, the name arose independently in several regions. It remains common in England and later spread widely to the United States and other English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same surname form could point to more than one village called Stoke, so two unrelated Stokes families might both be perfectly authentic English Stokes lines.
From the historical record
“(Dut.) Fire-Tender [Dut. stoker'\ STOKES (Eng.) i pi., and genit., of Stoke, q.v. 2 conf. with Stocks, q.v. Petrus de Stokes (Kent). — Charter-Rolls, A.D. 1203-4. Robert de Stokes (Oxon). — Hund. Rolls, A.D. 1274. Gair de Stokes.—”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)