Drake Family History

Drake Surname Meaning

English: nickname from Middle English drake either ‘drake male duck’ (compare Duck) or ‘dragon’ (Old English draca ‘snake dragon’ or the cognate Old Norse draki) including an emblematic dragon on a flag (compare Dragon). Both the Old English and the Old Norse forms are from Latin draco ‘snake monster’; its sense as a nickname is unclear but it may have had the sense ‘standard bearer’. The name was taken to Ireland in the 13th century and reinforced by later English settlers in the 17th century.

German: from Low German drake ‘dragon’ familiar as image on signboards hence a topographic or habitational name referring to a house or inn with such signboard.

Dutch: variant mostly Americanized and Flemish of Draak a cognate of 2 above from draak (Middle Dutch drake) ‘dragon’.

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

Similar surnames: Brake, Rake, Duke, Drach, Drane, Lake, Drage, Grace, Drakes, Dade

650K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
84K	Military Records
39K	Immigration Records
504K	Census and Voter Lists
2M	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Drake family from?

You can see how Drake families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Drake family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Drake families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,359 Drake families living in Yorkshire. This was about 27% of all the recorded Drake's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Drake families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Drake surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Drake

What did your Drake ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Drake. 6% of Drake men worked as a General labourer and 66% of Drake women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Drake were Gardener and Private means.

View Census Data for Drake

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.

General labourer

Incapacitated

Farmer

Gardener

Unpaid domestic duties

66%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Private means

What Drake family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 504K census records available for the last name Drake. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Drake census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Drake

Passenger List

There are 39K immigration records available for the last name Drake. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Drake immigration records

Military Records

There are 84K military records available for the last name Drake. For the veterans among your Drake ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Drake military records

You've only scratched the surface of Drake family history

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What is the average Drake lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Drake life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Drake in 1942 was 41, and 76 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Drake family tree

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Drake Surname Meaning

German: from Low German drake ‘dragon’ familiar as image on signboards hence a topographic or habitational name referring to a house or inn with such signboard.

Dutch: variant mostly Americanized and Flemish of Draak a cognate of 2 above from draak (Middle Dutch drake) ‘dragon’.

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

Where is the Drake family from?

What did your Drake ancestors do for a living?

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.

General labourer

Incapacitated

Farmer

Gardener

Unpaid domestic duties

66%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Private means

What Drake family records will you find?

What is the average Drake lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Drake life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Drake in 1942 was 41, and 76 in 2004.

Drake Family History

Drake Surname Meaning

3 million record(s) for Drake

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Drake family from?

What did your Drake ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Drake family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Drake family history

What is the average Drake lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Drake family tree

Search for another surname

Drake Surname Meaning

3 million record(s) for Drake

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Drake family from?

What did your Drake ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Drake family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Drake family history

What is the average Drake lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Drake family tree

Search for another surname