NameCensus.

UK surname

Akers

An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked on cultivated oak trees.

In the 1881 census there were 1,452 people recorded with the Akers surname, ranking it #2,868 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,064, ranked #3,133, down from #2,868 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ware (Ware). Hertford St John, Hertford All Saints and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest of Dean, Amber Valley and West Oxfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Akers is 2,160 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.1%.

1881 census count

1,452

Ranked #2,868

Modern count

2,064

2016, ranked #3,133

Peak year

1999

2,160 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Akers had 1,452 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,868 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,064 in 2016, ranked #3,133.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,158 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Akers surname distribution map

The map shows where the Akers surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Akers surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Akers over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 961 #2,892
1861 historical 951 #2,914
1881 historical 1,452 #2,868
1891 historical 1,609 #2,771
1901 historical 2,064 #2,595
1911 historical 2,158 #2,327
1997 modern 1,972 #3,089
1998 modern 2,132 #2,998
1999 modern 2,160 #2,989
2000 modern 2,131 #3,005
2001 modern 2,084 #3,006
2002 modern 2,138 #2,996
2003 modern 2,081 #3,011
2004 modern 2,085 #3,012
2005 modern 2,046 #3,016
2006 modern 2,052 #3,017
2007 modern 2,025 #3,090
2008 modern 2,068 #3,050
2009 modern 2,098 #3,084
2010 modern 2,128 #3,110
2011 modern 2,097 #3,106
2012 modern 2,069 #3,101
2013 modern 2,080 #3,142
2014 modern 2,114 #3,109
2015 modern 2,067 #3,143
2016 modern 2,064 #3,133

Geography

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Where Akers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ware (Ware). Hertford St John, Hertford All Saints, Preston and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest of Dean, Amber Valley, West Oxfordshire and Darlington. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ware (Ware). Hertford St John, Hertford All Saints Hertfordshire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest of Dean 008 Forest of Dean
2 Amber Valley 010 Amber Valley
3 West Oxfordshire 001 West Oxfordshire
4 Darlington 012 Darlington
5 Amber Valley 009 Amber Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Akers

These lists show first names that appear often with the Akers surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Akers

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Akers, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Akers surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Akers household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Akers is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Akers is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Akers falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Akers is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Akers, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Akers

The surname Akers has its origins in England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "æcern," meaning "field" or "cultivated land." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked on a field or farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Akers can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. This comprehensive survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded landowners and their properties across England. The name appeared as "Achers" in the county of Warwickshire.

During the 13th century, the surname began to appear in various spellings, such as "Aker," "Akyr," and "Achere." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Akers Farm in Somerset and Akers Green in Kent.

Notable individuals with the surname Akers include John Akers (1944-), an American businessman who served as the CEO of IBM from 1985 to 1993. Another prominent figure was Benjamin Paul Akers (1825-1861), an American sculptor known for his works like the Benjamin Franklin statue in Boston.

During the 16th century, the surname Akers gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Akers (1548-1624), an English composer and organist who served as the master of the choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

In the 18th century, Aretas Akers (1784-1853), an American lawyer and politician from New Hampshire, made a name for himself as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Another notable figure was Benjamin Akers (1825-1861), an English sculptor whose works included the allegorical figure "America" on the Albert Memorial in London.

As the centuries passed, the Akers surname continued to spread across various regions of England and eventually to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the original Akers settlers can be found today.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Akers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Akers surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 252 Akers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.79x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 252 1.79x
Middlesex 209 1.47x
Oxfordshire 146 16.66x
Hertfordshire 110 11.24x
Lancashire 109 0.65x
Surrey 75 1.08x
Warwickshire 69 1.93x
Kent 56 1.16x
Durham 53 1.26x
Essex 52 1.86x
Norfolk 49 2.25x
Derbyshire 29 1.31x
Nottinghamshire 27 1.41x
Glamorgan 22 0.89x
Staffordshire 21 0.44x
Gloucestershire 19 0.68x
Lincolnshire 19 0.84x
Leicestershire 16 1.02x
Worcestershire 15 0.81x
Berkshire 14 1.31x
Cheshire 13 0.41x
Devon 13 0.44x
Wiltshire 12 0.96x
Sussex 11 0.46x
Shropshire 10 0.82x
Hampshire 9 0.31x
Midlothian 8 0.42x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.58x
Suffolk 4 0.23x
Bedfordshire 2 0.27x
Northamptonshire 2 0.15x
Royal Navy 2 1.18x
Dorset 1 0.11x
Renfrewshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 38 Akers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.76x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 38 2.76x
Preston 38 8.43x
Ware 34 121.26x
Birmingham 29 2.43x
Enstone 23 429.10x
Oxford St Giles 23 55.00x
Ripon 23 70.49x
Brightside Bierlow 22 7.98x
St Pancras London 21 1.84x
Aston 20 2.03x
Brize Norton 19 509.38x
Darlington 18 11.04x
Stanton Harcourt 18 679.25x
Cheshunt 17 49.71x
Kensington London 17 2.15x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 17 25.95x
Newington 17 3.24x
Camberwell 16 1.76x
Chorley 14 14.81x
Hackney London 13 1.63x
Horton In Bradford 13 5.92x
Shoreditch London 13 2.11x
St Marylebone London 13 1.72x
Woolwich 13 7.27x
Oxborough 12 1081.08x
Wolverhampton 12 3.26x
Great Faringdon 11 71.85x
Kenilworth 11 54.51x
Lambeth 11 0.89x
Pendleton In Salford 11 5.48x
Deptford St Nicholas 10 26.02x
Filkins 10 350.88x
Holbrook 10 200.40x
Kings Norton 10 6.02x
Liversedge 10 15.97x
Marston 10 398.41x
Radford 10 10.29x
Shrewsbury St Mary 10 20.67x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 9 6.87x
Cardiff St Fagan 9 384.62x
Cogan 9 245.23x
Hanwell 9 35.77x
Helperby 9 290.32x
Kirk Deighton 9 523.26x
Leeds 9 1.13x
Bishop Stortford 8 24.48x
Bury 8 4.16x
Croydon 8 2.08x
Deptford St Paul 8 2.14x
Ecclesall Bierlow 8 2.80x
Goring 8 159.68x
Morley 8 10.94x
Plymouth St Andrew 8 3.52x
Rothwell 8 28.16x
Tandridge 8 269.36x
Walton Le Soken 8 120.12x
Acton 7 8.41x
Bishopthorpe 7 258.30x
Blyton 7 204.08x
Bow London 7 3.87x
Farington 7 71.43x
Foleshill 7 18.59x
Great Rissington 7 348.26x
Hertford All Saints 7 127.97x
Kirby Wiske 7 648.15x
Paddington London 7 1.34x
St Albans St Peter 7 21.21x
Tanfield 7 13.94x
Tottenham 7 3.10x
West Ham 7 1.13x
York St Mary 7 12.02x
Edmonton 6 5.25x
Greenwich 6 2.66x
Leicester St Margaret 6 1.56x
Monks Coppenhall 6 5.08x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 6 57.75x
South Lynn 6 24.36x
St George Hanover Square 6 2.40x
Wanstead 6 12.23x
Willesden 6 4.48x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Akers surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Akers surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 98
John 94
Thomas 49
James 48
George 47
Henry 34
Joseph 32
Robert 31
Charles 24
Richard 22
Alfred 21
Edward 16
Frederick 15
Arthur 14
Harry 13
Walter 12
David 8
Albert 7
Ernest 6
Frank 6
Herbert 6
Samuel 6
Edwin 5
Matthew 5
Francis 4
Fred 4
Isaac 4
Mark 4
Edmund 3
Reginald 3
Tom 3
Benjamin 2
Cyril 2
Fredrick 2
Henery 2
Jesse 2
Philip 2
Richd. 2
Robt. 2
Sidney 2
Adelaide 1
Andrew 1
Bertie 1
Chas.H. 1
Chas.Thos. 1
Evan 1
Fred. 1
Infant 1
Israel 1
Jas. 1

FAQ

Akers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Akers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,452 people were recorded with the Akers surname. That placed it at #2,868 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Akers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,064 in 2016. That gives Akers a modern rank of #3,133.

What does the Akers surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked on cultivated oak trees.

What does the Akers map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Akers bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.