Peak

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.