An occupational surname with roots that stretch back more than 10,000 years, ‘Baker’ was to be found throughout the British Isles from earliest times. The name enters England’s historical record as early as the fourteenth century in connection with one of the most tumultuous events in the nation’s history, while many bearers of the name have found fame through a diverse range of pursuits. In more peaceful times, Norma Jeane Bake, ranked by the American Film Institute as the sixth greatest female star of all time, was the model, actress and singer better known to posterity as Marilyn Monroe. She became an international sex symbol through a number of films of the 1950s and 1960s that include the 1950 The Asphalt Jungle, the 1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and, from 1959, Some Like it Hot. The vibrant tale of the Bakers of both yesteryear and today is chronicled here.
