NameCensus.

UK surname

Anker

A surname derived from the Dutch word "anker," meaning anchor.

In the 1881 census there were 262 people recorded with the Anker surname, ranking it #10,721 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 430, ranked #11,195, down from #10,721 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Woolbeding, Linch, Bepton, Farnhurst, Linchmere, Steep, Peterborough St John the Baptist and Doddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rutland, East Northamptonshire and Central Bedfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Anker is 439 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.1%.

1881 census count

262

Ranked #10,721

Modern count

430

2016, ranked #11,195

Peak year

1911

439 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Anker had 262 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,721 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 430 in 2016, ranked #11,195.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 439 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Anker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Anker surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Anker 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 186 #11,024
1861 historical 170 #13,763
1881 historical 262 #10,721
1891 historical 339 #10,089
1901 historical 427 #9,054
1911 historical 439 #8,671
1997 modern 399 #11,028
1998 modern 415 #11,061
1999 modern 434 #10,784
2000 modern 415 #11,109
2001 modern 394 #11,344
2002 modern 414 #11,151
2003 modern 408 #11,115
2004 modern 406 #11,155
2005 modern 388 #11,437
2006 modern 379 #11,688
2007 modern 390 #11,596
2008 modern 389 #11,723
2009 modern 400 #11,729
2010 modern 418 #11,582
2011 modern 407 #11,709
2012 modern 420 #11,278
2013 modern 435 #11,131
2014 modern 435 #11,224
2015 modern 433 #11,162
2016 modern 430 #11,195

Geography

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Where Ankers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Woolbeding, Linch, Bepton, Farnhurst, Linchmere, Steep, Peterborough St John the Baptist, Doddington, Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) and Cropredy. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rutland, East Northamptonshire, Central Bedfordshire, Fenland and Blackburn with Darwen. 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 Woolbeding, Linch, Bepton, Farnhurst, Linchmere, Steep Sussex
2 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire
3 Doddington Cambridgeshire
4 Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) Cambridgeshire
5 Cropredy Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rutland 002 Rutland
2 East Northamptonshire 006 East Northamptonshire
3 Central Bedfordshire 017 Central Bedfordshire
4 Fenland 006 Fenland
5 Blackburn with Darwen 009 Blackburn with Darwen

Forenames

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First names often paired with Anker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Anker

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Anker, 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 Anker surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Anker 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, Anker 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

Anker is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Anker falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Anker 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 Anker, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Anker

The surname Anker is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "anker", meaning "anchor", which was likely an occupational name for someone who worked with anchors or on ships.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch, a historical record book from the city of Lübeck, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. It mentions a person named Hinrik Anker in the year 1348.

The name Anker is also found in various other historical records from different parts of Germany, such as the Deutsches Familienarchiv, a collection of family records from the 16th to 19th centuries.

In the 17th century, the name Anker appeared in the Lübecker Bürgerbuch, a register of citizens in Lübeck. One notable entry is of Hans Anker, a merchant who lived from 1620 to 1681.

Another historically significant bearer of the name was Johann Peter Anker (1766-1835), a Swiss politician and member of the Tagsatzung, the federal diet of the Swiss Confederacy.

The name Anker can also be found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Ankergrund, a district in the town of Werder an der Havel, and Ankerberg, a hill in the municipality of Etting, Bavaria.

Other notable individuals with the surname Anker include:

1. Albert Anker (1831-1910), a Swiss painter known for his genre scenes depicting everyday life in Switzerland. 2. Peder Anker (1749-1824), a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the early industrialization of Norway. 3. Gertrud Anker (1915-2005), a Norwegian actress who appeared in several films and television shows throughout her career. 4. Robert Anker (1837-1908), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the 29th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1890 to 1892. 5. Olav Anker (1921-2007), a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II and a prominent businessman after the war.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Anker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Anker 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 65 Ankers recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.16x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 65 40.16x
Warwickshire 34 5.28x
Surrey 22 1.77x
Sussex 22 5.11x
Cheshire 19 3.37x
Northamptonshire 19 7.90x
Lancashire 16 0.53x
Oxfordshire 12 7.60x
Staffordshire 12 1.39x
Northumberland 6 1.58x
Essex 5 0.99x
Lincolnshire 5 1.22x
Bedfordshire 4 3.02x
Derbyshire 3 0.75x
Huntingdonshire 3 5.91x
Leicestershire 3 1.06x
Middlesex 3 0.12x
Norfolk 3 0.76x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.87x
Worcestershire 2 0.60x
Lanarkshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whittlesey St Mary St in Cambridgeshire leads with 56 Ankers recorded in 1881 and an index of 991.15x.

Place Total Index
Whittlesey St Mary St 56 991.15x
Peterborough 18 103.45x
Alcester 14 657.28x
Spotland 9 26.70x
Wimbledon 9 64.38x
Bourton 8 1818.18x
Thornton Hough 8 2000.00x
March 7 129.15x
Warwick St Mary 7 125.00x
Dukinfield 6 23.02x
Eastbourne 6 30.26x
Handsworth 6 28.22x
Jesmond 6 112.15x
Leftwich 5 199.20x
Midhurst 5 354.61x
Spittlegate 5 88.50x
West Ham 5 4.49x
Bepton 4 1666.67x
Chiddingfold 4 341.88x
Dunstable 4 98.28x
Rushall 4 78.74x
Snitterfield 4 563.38x
Ardwick 3 10.97x
Carlton 3 76.34x
Cropredy 3 625.00x
Haslemere 3 306.12x
Iping 3 652.17x
Leicester St Margaret 3 4.34x
Litchurch 3 18.63x
Tanworth 3 176.47x
Aston 2 1.13x
Battersea 2 2.13x
Bermondsey 2 2.63x
Bootle Cum Linacre 2 8.31x
Fernhurst 2 210.53x
Fletton 2 123.46x
Great Yarmouth 2 6.14x
Leamington 2 46.84x
Shrewley 2 625.00x
Tettenhall 2 37.95x
Wisbech St Peter 2 24.63x
Banbury 1 31.65x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.08x
Cranleigh 1 54.95x
Govan 1 0.49x
Great Ryburgh 1 163.93x
Hagley 1 92.59x
Huntingdon St John 1 68.03x
Inkberrow 1 74.07x
Islington London 1 0.40x
Lurgashall 1 156.25x
Newington 1 1.06x
St Marylebone London 1 0.73x
St Pancras London 1 0.49x
Thornhaugh 1 476.19x
Trotton 1 277.78x
Withington 1 10.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 15
Mary 14
Sarah 9
Jane 7
Hannah 6
Alice 5
Eliza 5
Caroline 4
Ellen 4
Emily 4
Ada 3
Ann 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Sophia 3
Angelina 2
Jessie 2
Kezia 2
Laura 2
Marian 2
Martha 2
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Blache 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Dinah 1
Elizebath 1
Elizth. 1
Eva 1
Evleen 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Lousie 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Selina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 20
John 15
George 13
William 12
Joseph 10
Charles 8
Abraham 5
Henry 5
Samuel 5
Alfred 3
Edward 3
James 3
Robert 3
Arthur 2
Frederick 2
Fredk. 2
Harry 2
Walter 2
Willie 2
Ambrose 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Erasmus 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Geo.Arthur 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Jose 1
Levi 1
Mary 1
Richard 1

FAQ

Anker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Anker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 262 people were recorded with the Anker surname. That placed it at #10,721 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Anker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 430 in 2016. That gives Anker a modern rank of #11,195.

What does the Anker surname mean?

A surname derived from the Dutch word "anker," meaning anchor.

What does the Anker map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Anker 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.