Sykes Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Sykes last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Sykes last name
Meaning of the Sykes last name: dweller by a small stream. Sykes is an English surname for someone by a small stream or ditch, from Old English sīc. The last name is most at home in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Curiously, the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, which redrew the Middle East, is named after Sir Mark Sykes.
Arms associated with the Sykes name
In English heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Sykes name are described in a blazon, a short formal text.
Get your full Sykes family history
This is only a glimpse of the Sykes story. The full Sykes history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Sykes coat of arms. Get the full Sykes report.
Sykes name FAQ
What does the Sykes name mean?
Dweller by a small stream. Common variants include Sikes, Sike.
Where does the Sykes surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Sykes coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Sykes coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).