The name Weeks is a relatively common English surname, usually either a patronymic of the Middle English Wikke (battle, war) or a topographic or occupational name deriving from Wick (small, outlying village). It may also be an Anglification of the Scandinavian habitational name Vik (small bay, inlet).
Weeks is an English surname of Germanic origin with several known derivations:
A patronymic from the Middle English personal name Wikke, which is in turn a short form of any of various Germanic personal names formed with the element wig, meaning battle, war.A variant of Wick, which is an English topographic name for someone who lived in an outlying settlement dependent on a larger village; from the Old English wic an early loan word from the Latin vicus, or a habitational name from a place named with this word. Examples of such places include Week Green in Cornwall, and Wick in Somerset.As the term was especially used to denote an outlying dairy farm or salt works, it may also have been an occupational name for someone who worked at such a facility. The addition of a final "s" to topographical and locational surnames was a usual medieval practice, denoting one who was resident at a place, rather than from it.An Anglification of the Scandinavian Vik, itself either a habitational name from any of the numerous Norwegian or Swedish farmsteads named with Old Norse vík, meaning small bay, inlet, or (in Swedish) a topographic or ornamental name. An example of this is the Scottish Highland town of Wick, (Scots: Week or Weik)Early bearers of the surname include:
Alueredus de Uuica of Somerset in 1084.Goscelin del Wich of Worcestershire in 1184.Jordan de la Wike of Gloucestershire in 1194.Later recordings include:
Symon Weeks, of Devonshire, a worsted weaver born in 1618, who emigrated to Barbados in February 1634 aged only 16. He is currently known to be the first person with the surname Weeks or etymologies of it to travel to the new world thus becoming a common ancestor to many with the name or derivatives of it in North America.Benjamin Weich of London, who married Aurrelia Clarke at St James Clerkenwell, on 21 September 1653.Henry Witch of London who married Ann Rugrove at St Olaves, Southwark, on 26 June 1774.Cognates and variations
Names etymologically related to Weeks include but may not be limited to: Weekes, Wicks, Weech, Week, Weeke, Wich, Wych, Weetch, Wick, Wickes, Wix, Wike, Witch, Wykes, Whick, and Vik.
Frequency and distribution
In the UK, at the time of the 1881 Census, the relative frequency of Weeks was highest in Devon (7.3 times the British average), followed by Wiltshire, Somerset, Hampshire, Brecknockshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Kent and Dorset.
Today the name is most common (indicated in frequency per million) in Australia (188), the United States (181), the United Kingdom (156), Canada (143), and New Zealand (71).
Globally, the city with the largest numbers of people named Weeks is Bristol, United Kingdom, located in the south western county of Somerset.
In the US, there were 51,976 people in 1990 with the last name Weeks, making it the 675th most common last name. The table below compares this with the corresponding enumerations of related names at that time in the US.
Alan Weeks (1923–1996), British television sports reporter and commentatorBert Weeks (1918–1990), mayor of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, from 1975 to 1982Bob Weeks (born 1960), editor of Scoregolf magazineBrent Weeks, writer of fantasy books including best-selling The Night Angel trilogy.David Weeks, former Conservative Leader of Westminster City CouncilDon Weeks (1938–2015), longtime host of the WGY Morning News in Schenectady, New YorkEdgar Weeks (1839–1904), military officer, judge and politician from MichiganEdward G. Weeks III (born 1984), American criminologistEdwin Lord Weeks (1849 – 1903), American artistEdythe E. Weeks (born 1963), Professor of outer space development and international political scienceEzra Weeks, builder who served as a witness in a sensationalized murder trialFrank B. Weeks (1854–1935), former Governor of ConnecticutGeorge Weeks, New Zealand clergyman and educatorHarry S. Weeks, notable political activist in Wheeling, West VirginiaHilary Weeks, singer/songwriter of faith-based musicHoneysuckle Weeks (born 1979), British actress, best known for her starring role as Samantha Stewart in the British TV series Foyle's WarJeffrey Weeks, American mathematician and MacArthur FellowJeffrey Weeks, British historian, sociologist, and gay activistJemile Weeks, Major League Baseball second baseman for the Oakland Athletics, brother of Rickie WeeksJohn W. Weeks (1860–1926), US Senator and Secretary of WarJoseph Weeks (1773–1845), United States Representative from New HampshireKent R. Weeks (born 1941), American EgyptologistKevin Weeks (born 1956), former mobsterLaurie Weeks, writer and performer based in New York CityLee Weeks, American comic book artist and pencillerLevi Weeks (1776–1819), the accused in the infamous Manhattan Well Murder trial of 1800Miriam Weeks (born 1995) American pornstarOrlando Weeks (born 1983), lead singer and guitarist of London-based band The MaccabeesPerdita Weeks (born 1985), British actressRay Weeks (1930–2015), English cricketerRaymond Weeks (1863–1954), American linguist and academicRickie Weeks (born 1982), Major League Baseball second baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, brother of Jemile WeeksRollo Weeks (born 1987), British actorRuss Weeks (born 1942), former Republican State Senator from West VirginiaSinclair Weeks (1893–1972), United States Secretary of Commerce under Dwight EisenhowerSteve Weeks (born 1958), retired ice hockey goaltenderTheophilus Weeks (1708–1772), soldier in the French and Indian War and founder of Swansboro, North CarolinaThompson Weeks, Wisconsin politicianWilliam Henry Weeks (1864–1936), American architect who designed many public buildings in CaliforniaWillet Weeks, Jr. (1917–2006), American newspaper executive, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune European Edition (1955–1960)Willie Weeks (born 1947), American bassist
