This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Sevenoaks', a market town and parish in Kent Mr. Lower says,'The Kentish town is usually pronounced Se'noaks.' 'The further contraction, coupled with the phonetic spelling of former days, easily passed into Snooks. Messrs. Sharp and Harrison, solicitors of Southampton, had in their possession a series of deeds in which all the modes of spelling occur, from Sevenoakes down to S'nokes, in connection with a family now known as Snooks' (Notes and Queries, quoted by Lower). 'A Sussex family in the early part of the last century bore the name of Snooke. Sevenoke, the early orthography of the town, has also been modified into Sinnock and Cennick' (Lower).

Stephen Sevenac, Lincolnshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Simon Senenok, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Robert Snouk, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

1617. Richard Snook, Dorset: Register of the University of Oxford.

1642. Baptised — Margery, d. Daniel Snoaks: Kensington Ch.

1766. Married— Thomas Snook and Ann Autrick: St. George, Hanover Square.

Genit., and pl., of Snook, q.v.

(English) One who came from Sevenoaks (seven oaks), in Kent; dweller on, or near, a projecting point or piece of land.

"This name, so generally associated with vulgarity, is only a corruption or contraction of Sevenoaks." The Kentish town is usually pronounced Se'noaks, and "the further contraction, coupled with the phonetic spelling of former days, easily passed into S'nooks. Messrs. Sharp and Harrison, solicitors, of Southampton, had in their possession a series of deeds in which all the modes of spelling occur from Sevenoakes down to S'nokes, in connection with a family now known as Snooks." Notes and Queries, vol. v. p. 438. A Sussex family, in the early part of the last century, bore the name of Snooke. Sevenoke, the early orthography of the town, has also been modified to Sinnock and Cennick.

The word snooks is often brought forward as the answer to an idle question, or as the perpetrator of a senseless joke. It was probably the name of a character in some modern play or song. The surname is a gross corruption of Sevenoaks; from Sevenoaks, Kent, the provincial pronunciation of which is Se'noaks. Sevenoaks is still a surname, and there was formerly a Sir William de Sevenoke. "Mr. Sevenoke," says Bowditch, "was an ancient Lord Mayor of London."

A location name in Devon Orfrom the Flemish, Snoeckx; a personal name Lower thinks it is a corruption of Sevenoaks, Kent.

The Snooks of Wiltshire are gathered around Devizes, but the name also occurs now in Somerset, Dorset, and Berks, and was represented by a family of Snooke in Sussex in the early part of last century.