Wicks
A surname with two main roots: either “son of Wick/Wicke” or a short form linked to William.
The #3,735 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,537 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name Wicks is usually treated as either a patronymic form built from the personal name Wick/Wicke, or as a variant that developed under the influence of names from William such as Wilkes. In older English sources, Wick itself could be a place-based name from Old English wic, meaning a dwelling, settlement, or farmstead, so the surname may sometimes be locational in origin as well. The historical dictionaries consulted most often connect Wicks with the same family of names as Wick, Wike, and Wykes, while also allowing a William-based explanation in some cases.
History
English surname dictionaries from the 19th and early 20th centuries record Wicks alongside Wick, Wike, and Wykes, especially in southern and eastern English records. Some authorities preferred a local origin from places called Wick, while others also noted a baptisimal or patronymic link to William through Wilkes. The name later appears in Britain and in overseas English-speaking records, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old English wic is the same root that turns up in many English place-names ending in -wich or -wick.
From the historical record
“WICKNOR I wicnere] WICKS I genit. of Wick, q.v. 2 an assim. form of Wilkes, q.v. WICKSTEAD 1 (Eng.) Bel. to Wickste(a)d [v. WICKSTED I under Wick and Stead ; the WICKSTEED ) O.E. wkstede denotes literally 'dwelling-place', as in the quotations ; but”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)