Sykes

"Sykes" is a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origins, which generally has topographical roots as it original linguistic origin. The name derives from the Old Norse word "sík" or "síkja", meaning a small stream, marshy hollow, or gully. It eventually was used to describe an individual who resided near such a topographical feature. In time, this would evolve into "syke" or "sykes" in Middle English. As a surname, it began showing up in English records as early as the 13th century. It is relatively more common in the north of England, reflecting the Norse linguistic influence in that region.

The surname Sykes is also relatively common among African Americans, which often reflects the legacy of slavery in both the Americas and the rest of the world. Enslaved people were frequently given the surnames of the families who enslaved them, so many African American Sykes families can trace their surnames to a plantation owner or region of the American South.

Sykes may refer to:

People

Sir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet, businessman and British politician
Annette Sykes, New Zealand human rights lawyer and Māori activist
Bob Sykes (American football), American football player
Bob Sykes (baseball), American baseball pitcher
Bob Sykes (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
Bobbi Sykes, Australian author and land rights activist
Bryan Sykes, British academic and geneticist
Christopher Sykes (author), British author
Christopher Sykes (politician), British politician
Diane S. Sykes, judge on the United States Court of Appeals
Edmund Sykes, Catholic martyr
Emilia Sykes, American politician
Eric Sykes, comedic writer and actor
Eric A. Sykes, developer of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife
Ernest Sykes (VC), recipient of the Victoria Cross
Ernest Ruthven Sykes (1867–1954), malacologist from Great Britain
Eugene O. Sykes (1876–1945), justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court
Frederick Henry Sykes (1863–1917), Canadian-American educator and college president
Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes, British military officer and politician
Gary Sykes, English Profesional boxer
George Sykes, U.S. Army general
Gresham Sykes (1922–2010), American sociologist and criminologist
Homer Sykes, Canadian-born British photographer
Congressman James Sykes (Continental Congress), lawyer and American politician
Governor James Sykes (governor), physician and American politician
John Sykes (1959–2024), English singer and guitarist
John Sykes (American football) (1949–2019), American football player
John Sykes (composer) (1909–1962), English composer and music teacher, born in India
John Sykes (politician), British politician
John H. Sykes Tampa Bay area businessman and founder of Sykes inc.
Keifer Sykes (born 1993), American basketball player
Lucy Sykes (born 1969) British-American socialite
Sir Mark Sykes, British politician and diplomatic advisor
Mark Sykes (footballer) (born 1997) Irish footballer
Melanie Sykes (born 1970), English television and radio presenter, and model
Nathan Sykes (born 1993), member of boy band The Wanted
Norman Sykes (1936–2009), English footballer
Oliver Sykes, frontman of Bring Me the Horizon
Paul Sykes (boxer) (1946–2007), English heavyweight boxer of the 1970s and 1980s
Paul Sykes (businessman) (born 1943), English Eurosceptic businessman, and political donor
Paul Sykes (rugby league) (born 1981), rugby league footballer of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s
Paul Sykes (singer), American folksinger of the 1960s
Sir Percy Sykes, British soldier, geographer and travel writer
Peter Sykes (director) (1939–2006), Australian/British film director
Peter Sykes (chemist) (1923–2003), British chemist
Plum Sykes (born 1969) British fashion journalist and novelist
Sir Richard Sykes (biochemist), businessman and university rector
Sir Richard Sykes (diplomat), diplomat assassinated in 1979
Richard Sykes (rugby union), Rugby player and Dakota landowner
Rod Sykes (1929–2025), Canadian politician from Alberta
Ronald Sykes (1899–1977), British aviator
Stephen Sykes (1939–2014), ecclesiologist
Tatton Sykes (disambiguation)
Thomas Sykes (Mississippi politician), African-American legislator in Mississippi during Reconstruction
Thomas A. Sykes, African-American legislator in North Carolina and Tennessee during Reconstruction
Thomas Hardcastle Sykes, businessman
Timothy Sykes (born 1981), penny stock trader
Tom Sykes, British motorcycle racer
Wanda Sykes, comedian and actress
William Sykes (businessman) (1852–1910), English businessman
Colonel William Henry Sykes, military officer, politician, and ornithologist
William Robert Sykes, British railway signal engineer
Sykes, South African singer-songwriter

Companies

Sykes Bleaching Company
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, a family of global companies delivering business process outsourcing services

Characters

Bill Sykes, antagonist from the animated Disney film Oliver & Company
Fredrick Sykes, one of the main antagonists of the 1993 action film The Fugitive
Mr. Sykes, a character from the film Shark Tale, voiced by Martin Scorsese
Sgt. Michael "Psycho" Sykes, the main character in the game Crysis Warhead, and a secondary character in Crysis
Reverend Sykes, a character from Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird
Robert "Pliers" Sykes, character in the game Wing Commander IV

Places

Sykes, Lancashire, England
Sykesville, Maryland, USA
Forward Operating Base Sykes, a U.S. military base in Iraq
Sykes Camp, a campground in California

Other

4438 Sykes, an asteroid
Sykes (dog), a dog actor from Clifton, Oxfordshire, England
Sykes (TV series), a British sitcom that aired on BBC 1 from 1972 to 1979
Sykes baronets, four separate baronetcies of Great Britain or the United Kingdom

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