Recorded in a wide range of spellings including Feak, Feaks, Feakes, Feek, Fick, Fike, and diminutives such as Ficken and Feakins, this is an English surname. It derives from the pre 10th century Old French word "fiche", meaning an Iron point, a word introduced by the Norman invaders after 1066. As such it was used in a transferred sense to describe an agricultural implement such as a harrow or narrow plough share, or in a military sense, a pointed weapon such as a spear or lance. The surname is therefore occupational for somebody who made such implements, or it may have denoted a spearman, probably one famous for his exploits with the lance.
The early examples of the surname recording include: Richard Ficun in the Assize Rolls of the city of York in the year 1219, James Feeke, a witness at St. Peters church, Westcheap, on April 2nd 1568, Susan Fickins, who married Robert Christy at the church of St. Gregory by St. Pauls, on May 5th 1635, and Ann Feakes, who married Will Stuckley at St James church, Dukes Place, on April 22nd 1686. All these later recordings being found in the surviving registers of the diocese of Greater London from the time of Elizabeth 1st. The first recorded spelling of the family name is probably that of Semann Fike. This was dated 1197, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Norfolk, during the reign of King Richard 1st, known as Lion-heart, 1189 - 1199. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop," often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname feak is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation. Adhering to what we know about the way surnames originated, it is possible to offer a realistic explanation of the origins of feak.
The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname feak provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname feak, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of feak developed. In the following lines, you will find everything we have been able to gather about the surname feak.
We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about feak and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname feak were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. If you or someone you know bears the surname feak, you could potentially build illustrious lineages through your efforts and virtues. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname feak who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of feak are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation. Accessing the archives of the town or towns where your ancestors were born and lived is, of course, a good way to trace the origins of feak.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of feak, and at the same time, of surnames in general.