Troak

Recorded as Troak, Troake, and Troke, this is an English surname. It is a good example of how the changing dialects over the centuries have created their own variants of surnames. The original derivation is from the Old French word "trique", a metonymic for a conjuror or magician or possibly a jester. It was a word introduced by the Norman-French at the famous invasion of 1066, when for the following three centuries French was the official language of England and Scotland. The very first recording in any form is that of Adam le Trikur, in the Pipe Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, in Yorkshire, in 1275. It would seem that the development to Troke or Troake passed through Trick (circa 1354) to Treake (circa 1472) to Troke (see below). Troocke an unusual spelling, was recorded at St. Margaret's, Westminster in 1608, Troak in 1764 and Troake, which does not appear before the 1820's. The name is well recorded although rare and seems to be a London and home counties development. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Troke. This was dated May 5th 1603, when he was a witness at St. Margaret's Westminster, during the reign of King James 1st of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.