NameCensus.

UK surname

Buck

An English occupational surname referring to a male deer or a man with buck-like qualities, such as speed or virility.

In the 1881 census there were 6,437 people recorded with the Buck surname, ranking it #659 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,636, ranked #874, down from #659 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, West Lancashire and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Buck is 8,527 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.6%.

1881 census count

6,437

Ranked #659

Modern count

7,636

2016, ranked #874

Peak year

1911

8,527 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Buck had 6,437 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #659 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,636 in 2016, ranked #874.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,527 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Buck surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Buck surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Buck 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 4,239 #672
1861 historical 4,469 #633
1881 historical 6,437 #659
1891 historical 6,649 #689
1901 historical 7,659 #701
1911 historical 8,527 #578
1997 modern 7,990 #803
1998 modern 8,288 #800
1999 modern 8,272 #811
2000 modern 8,264 #810
2001 modern 8,026 #810
2002 modern 8,071 #829
2003 modern 7,831 #833
2004 modern 7,841 #829
2005 modern 7,640 #846
2006 modern 7,580 #852
2007 modern 7,591 #863
2008 modern 7,604 #867
2009 modern 7,819 #860
2010 modern 7,876 #877
2011 modern 7,750 #876
2012 modern 7,623 #869
2013 modern 7,776 #865
2014 modern 7,773 #873
2015 modern 7,703 #866
2016 modern 7,636 #874

Geography

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Where Bucks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Lambeth and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, West Lancashire, Waveney, South Norfolk and Breckland. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 041 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 West Lancashire 001 West Lancashire
3 Waveney 013 Waveney
4 South Norfolk 012 South Norfolk
5 Breckland 001 Breckland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Buck

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Buck

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Buck is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Buck 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

Buck falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Buck

The surname BUCK originates from England and has its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "bucc," which means "male deer" or "buck." The name would have initially referred to someone who was associated with hunting or keeping deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BUCK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England ordered by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as "Buc," "Bucke," and "le Buk."

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname BUCK became more prevalent in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Essex. It was often associated with place names that referenced deer or hunting grounds, such as Buckden, Buckingham, and Buckhurst.

One notable individual with the surname BUCK was Sir George Buck (1560-1622), an English antiquarian and historian who served as a master of the revels to King James I. His works included "The History of the Life and Reign of Richard III" and "The Third Universitie of England."

Another prominent figure was Sir John Buck (1558-1636), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1628. He played a significant role in the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown.

During the 17th century, the BUCK surname spread to the American colonies, with early settlers carrying the name to New England and the Chesapeake region. One such individual was Emanuel Buck (1623-1693), who was among the first settlers of Hampton, Virginia, arriving in the 1630s.

In the 18th century, Jeremiah Buck (1717-1786) was a prominent American clergyman and educator, serving as the president of Harvard College from 1771 to 1775. He was known for his strong opposition to the growing tensions between the colonies and Britain, which ultimately led to the American Revolution.

Another noteworthy individual was Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), an American novelist and humanitarian who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938. She was renowned for her novels set in China, including "The Good Earth" and "Dragon Seed," which brought attention to the lives of Chinese peasants.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Buck families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Buck 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. Middlesex leads with 1,117 Bucks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.78x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,117 1.78x
Yorkshire 728 1.17x
Norfolk 719 7.47x
Lancashire 659 0.89x
Surrey 579 1.90x
Essex 329 2.66x
Suffolk 279 3.66x
Kent 171 0.80x
Durham 149 0.80x
Somerset 120 1.19x
Staffordshire 114 0.54x
Sussex 114 1.08x
Gloucestershire 112 0.91x
Leicestershire 104 1.50x
Lincolnshire 96 0.96x
Nottinghamshire 86 1.02x
Derbyshire 85 0.87x
Cambridgeshire 77 1.94x
Hampshire 75 0.58x
Northumberland 69 0.74x
Bedfordshire 66 2.04x
Westmorland 62 4.51x
Cheshire 61 0.44x
Hertfordshire 57 1.32x
Warwickshire 49 0.31x
Worcestershire 35 0.43x
Glamorgan 33 0.30x
Monmouthshire 33 0.73x
Huntingdonshire 26 2.09x
Cumberland 21 0.39x
Devon 19 0.15x
Northamptonshire 16 0.27x
Dorset 14 0.34x
Roxburghshire 13 1.15x
Berkshire 12 0.26x
Midlothian 12 0.14x
Shropshire 12 0.22x
Ayrshire 11 0.23x
Cornwall 11 0.16x
Oxfordshire 10 0.26x
Angus 9 0.16x
Wiltshire 7 0.13x
Brecknockshire 6 0.48x
Fife 5 0.13x
Herefordshire 5 0.19x
Lanarkshire 5 0.02x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.16x
Renfrewshire 4 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.18x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.05x
Channel Islands 2 0.11x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.14x
Royal Navy 2 0.27x
Anglesey 1 0.09x
Berwickshire 1 0.13x
Cardiganshire 1 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.05x
Radnorshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 129 Bucks recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.36x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 129 2.36x
Camberwell 117 2.93x
Bethnal Green London 105 3.86x
Leeds 91 2.60x
Islington London 89 1.47x
Kensington London 70 2.01x
Mile End Old Town London 69 5.18x
Shoreditch London 68 2.51x
West Ham 65 2.38x
St Pancras London 64 1.27x
Preston 62 3.12x
Newington 57 2.46x
St Marylebone London 57 1.71x
Paddington London 54 2.35x
Hackney London 48 1.37x
Ashby De La Zouch 44 27.34x
Clerkenwell London 44 2.98x
Battersea 43 1.87x
Easton In Gordano 43 105.99x
Liverpool 43 0.95x
North Meols 41 5.64x
Bermondsey 40 2.15x
Poplar London 40 3.38x
Good Easter 38 340.81x
Great Yarmouth 37 4.64x
Burnley 36 5.75x
Lakenham 36 26.32x
Hucknall Torkard 34 15.89x
St George Hanover Square 34 3.08x
Bishopwearmouth 33 2.06x
Westoe 32 3.03x
Bromley London 29 2.11x
Nottingham St Mary 29 1.33x
North Walsham 28 40.33x
Salford 28 1.28x
Horsham 27 13.17x
Limehouse London 25 3.64x
West Derby 25 1.15x
Beccles 24 19.55x
Southwark St George Martyr 24 1.90x
Blackburn 23 1.16x
Heigham 23 4.45x
Manchester 23 0.69x
Ravenstonedale 23 119.92x
Aston 22 0.51x
Holy Trinity 22 1.47x
St George In East London 22 3.74x
Willesden 22 3.73x
Worsley 22 4.80x
Chatham 21 3.57x
Hammersmith London 21 1.36x
Westminster St Margaret 21 6.95x
Handsworth 20 12.19x
Measham 20 55.51x
Newport 20 93.11x
Redgrave 20 167.22x
Deeping St James 19 53.69x
Lyncombe Widcombe 19 7.20x
Stoke Upon Trent 19 0.85x
Wicklewood 19 121.25x
Cardiff St Mary 18 3.00x
Chelmsford 18 8.49x
Greenwich 18 1.81x
Hempnall 18 95.34x
Renhold 18 160.86x
Wortham 18 88.19x
Birmingham 17 0.32x
Boston 17 5.60x
Croydon 17 1.00x
Haddiscoe 17 200.71x
Halsall 17 57.94x
Hoxne 17 78.59x
Loughton 17 27.82x
Sculcoates 17 1.73x
St Andrew Holborn London 17 6.27x
Goldington 16 128.93x
Otley 16 10.62x
Portsea 16 0.64x
Rotherfield 16 17.21x
Tacolnestone 16 168.42x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 409
Elizabeth 244
Sarah 220
Alice 127
Eliza 117
Jane 117
Emma 106
Ellen 103
Ann 94
Emily 83
Annie 79
Margaret 64
Martha 48
Charlotte 47
Hannah 47
Caroline 43
Catherine 43
Fanny 43
Harriet 42
Florence 39
Louisa 39
Maria 38
Ada 35
Edith 32
Kate 27
Lucy 27
Clara 26
Esther 26
Harriett 25
Isabella 25
Sophia 24
Amelia 20
Frances 19
Susan 19
Agnes 18
Matilda 18
Rebecca 18
Anne 17
Julia 17
Susannah 17
Anna 15
Ethel 15
Jessie 14
Rose 14
Elizth. 13
Beatrice 12
Gertrude 12
Rosa 12
Henrietta 11
Minnie 10

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 395
John 339
George 240
James 239
Thomas 177
Charles 166
Henry 151
Arthur 88
Edward 78
Robert 78
Frederick 71
Alfred 69
Joseph 65
Walter 55
Richard 45
Benjamin 37
Harry 37
Samuel 35
Albert 32
Herbert 32
Francis 28
Ernest 27
Frank 23
Wm. 17
Daniel 16
Geo. 16
Michael 15
David 12
Stephen 12
Edwin 11
Philip 11
Chas. 9
Peter 9
Thos. 9
Christopher 8
Isaac 8
Sidney 8
Edmund 7
Fred 7
Jonathan 7
Leonard 7
Mathew 7
Matthew 7
Percy 7
Sydney 7
Alexander 6
Horace 6
Louis 6
Martin 6
Augustus 5

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Buck households.

FAQ

Buck surname: questions and answers

How common was the Buck surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,437 people were recorded with the Buck surname. That placed it at #659 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Buck surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,636 in 2016. That gives Buck a modern rank of #874.

What does the Buck surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a male deer or a man with buck-like qualities, such as speed or virility.

What does the Buck map show?

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