(male) English form of a common biblical name (meaning ‘who is like God?’ in Hebrew) borne by one of the archangels, the protector of the ancient Hebrews, who is also regarded as a saint of the Catholic Church. In the Middle Ages, Michael was regarded as captain of the heavenly host (see Revelation 12:7–9), symbol of the Church Militant, and patron of soldiers. He was often depicted bearing a flaming sword. The name is also borne by a Persian prince and ally of Belshazzar mentioned in the Book of Daniel. Since the early 1900s it has been one of the most enduringly popular boys' names in the English-speaking world. See also Michal.
Cognates: Irish: Mícheál. Scottish Gaelic: Mìcheal. Welsh: Meical, Mihangel. German: Michael. Dutch: Michaël, Machiel. Scandinavian: Mikael. Danish, Norwegian: Mikkel. French: Michel. Spanish, Portuguese: Miguel. Catalan: Miquel. Italian: Michele. Russian: Mikhail. Polish: Michał. Czech: Michal. Croatian: Mihovil. Serbian: Mihajlo. Slovenian: Mihael. Finnish: Mikko. Hungarian: Mihály.
Short forms: Mike, Mick.
Pet forms: Mick(e)y, Mikey.
English: topographic name for someone living by a pointed hill (or regional name from the Peak District (Old English Pēaclond) in Derbyshire), named with Old English pēac ‘peak’, ‘pointed hill’ (found only in place names). This word is not directly related to Old English pīc ‘point’, ‘pointed hill’, which yielded Pike; there is, however, some evidence of confusion between the two surnames.
Possibly also Irish: reduced form of McPeak.
FOREBEARS Major concentrations of the surname Peak are found in Staffordshire and the West Country of England. Among the earliest known bearers are Richard del Pech or del Pek (d. 1196), son of Rannulf, sheriff of Nottingham, and Richard del Peke settled in Denbighshire (now part of Clwyd), Wales, receiving lands from Henry de Lacey, earl of Lincoln, in return for helping to control the region. His descendants, who bear the name Peak(e), can be traced to the present day, and are found in New Zealand and Canada as well as in Britain. Peake is also the name of a family descended from John Pyke, who paid rent to the abbot of Leicester in 1477. The name took various forms, such as Peke and Pick, eventually becoming established as Peak in the 17th century.
