Thake - Name

This unusual name comes from the traditional craft of thatching and can be both an occupational name for a 'thatcher' and a distinguishing habitation name for someone who lived in a house with a thatched roof, when this was an uncommon occurence in the neighbourhood. In the modern idiom the name can be found in the varied forms of Thacker and Thatcher. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 6th century 'thaec', thence Middle English 'thake' and 'thack' meaning thatch and thatcher. In 1565 Robert Thacker married Agnes Blage at St. James', Clerkenwell, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William le Thekere. which was dated 1273 The Hundred Rolls of Norfolk. during the reign of King Edward 1 the Hammer of the Scots 1272-1307 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.