NameCensus.

UK surname

Dakers

A locational surname derived from a place called Dacre in Cumbria, England.

In the 1881 census there were 406 people recorded with the Dakers surname, ranking it #7,880 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 358, ranked #12,931, down from #7,880 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Forfar, London parishes and Montrose. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Badenoch and Strathspey South, County Durham and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dakers is 451 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.8%.

1881 census count

406

Ranked #7,880

Modern count

358

2016, ranked #12,931

Peak year

1891

451 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dakers had 406 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,880 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 358 in 2016, ranked #12,931.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 451 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dakers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dakers surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dakers 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 272 #8,240
1861 historical 311 #8,151
1881 historical 406 #7,880
1891 historical 451 #8,062
1901 historical 431 #8,982
1911 historical 174 #16,311
1997 modern 329 #12,734
1998 modern 328 #13,100
1999 modern 329 #13,147
2000 modern 333 #12,999
2001 modern 317 #13,228
2002 modern 347 #12,699
2003 modern 340 #12,685
2004 modern 344 #12,597
2005 modern 352 #12,315
2006 modern 348 #12,498
2007 modern 338 #12,925
2008 modern 349 #12,723
2009 modern 361 #12,663
2010 modern 371 #12,679
2011 modern 373 #12,496
2012 modern 363 #12,592
2013 modern 360 #12,890
2014 modern 362 #12,955
2015 modern 355 #13,033
2016 modern 358 #12,931

Geography

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Where Dakers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Forfar, London parishes, Montrose, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Crieff. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Badenoch and Strathspey South, County Durham, Sunderland, Hartlepool and Viewlands, Craigie and Wellshill. 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 Forfar Forfar
2 London parishes London 3
3 Montrose Forfar
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Crieff Perth

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Badenoch and Strathspey South Highland
2 County Durham 046 County Durham
3 Sunderland 016 Sunderland
4 Hartlepool 007 Hartlepool
5 Viewlands, Craigie and Wellshill Perth and Kinross

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dakers

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dakers

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dakers, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dakers surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dakers household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Dakers 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

Dakers is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dakers falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dakers

The surname Dakers is of English origin, first recorded in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'daec', meaning a ditch or trench, and would have originally referred to someone who lived near a ditch or worked as a ditch digger.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230, where a John le Daker is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a Richard le Dakere from Buckinghamshire. These early spellings, with the 'le' prefix, indicate the name's occupational origins.

In the 14th century, the name began to appear in various other records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Thomas Daker is recorded in 1348. Around the same time, the name is also found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire, with a John Daker listed in 1327.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Dakers was Robert Dakers, who was born in Northamptonshire around 1420. He was a landowner and held property in the village of Loddington.

In the 16th century, the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where a John Dakers was baptized in 1562. Around the same time, a Thomas Dakers was recorded in the parish records of St. Peter's Church in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, in 1575.

During the 17th century, the name became more widespread across England, with examples such as William Dakers, who was born in Lincolnshire in 1623, and John Dakers, who was born in Cambridgeshire in 1648.

One notable individual with the surname Dakers was Sir Robert Dakers, a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London, who lived from 1686 to 1756. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1743 and was knighted the following year.

Another prominent figure was Francis Dakers, an English poet and playwright born in Leicestershire in 1720. He is best known for his play "The Satirical Tragedy of Sir John Dakers", which was performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane in 1758.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dakers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dakers 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. Angus leads with 195 Dakers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.28x.

County Total Index
Angus 195 53.28x
Durham 81 6.89x
Surrey 18 0.94x
Ayrshire 13 4.40x
Perthshire 12 6.77x
Lancashire 11 0.23x
Middlesex 11 0.28x
Lanarkshire 10 0.78x
Essex 8 1.03x
Northumberland 8 1.36x
Aberdeenshire 7 1.91x
Midlothian 6 1.13x
Roxburghshire 6 8.38x
Kent 5 0.37x
Stirlingshire 5 3.43x
Kincardineshire 2 4.16x
Royal Navy 2 4.25x
Yorkshire 2 0.05x
Anglesey 1 1.43x
Cheshire 1 0.11x
Huntingdonshire 1 1.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brechin in Angus leads with 87 Dakers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 605.01x.

Place Total Index
Brechin 87 605.01x
Montrose 39 175.83x
Forfar 18 90.82x
Dundee 14 10.25x
Crieff 11 166.92x
Kirriemuir 11 121.82x
Newbottle 11 171.34x
Stewarton 11 188.03x
Camberwell 8 3.17x
East Ham 8 55.29x
Escomb 7 129.63x
Denton 6 5454.55x
East Thickley 6 252.10x
Hawick 6 37.45x
Longbenton 6 24.10x
Newington 6 4.11x
Sedgefield 6 143.20x
Aberdeen Old Machar 5 6.55x
Eassie Nevay 5 657.89x
Govan 5 1.58x
Kirkden 5 218.34x
Stirling 5 27.22x
Wingate 5 62.03x
Bromley 4 19.47x
Byers Green 4 120.48x
Chilton 4 108.99x
Chorlton On Medlock 4 5.37x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 1.88x
Eldon 4 215.05x
Glasgow 4 1.76x
St Pancras London 4 1.26x
St Vigeans 4 20.24x
West Herrington 4 97.09x
Chester Le Street 3 33.22x
Cockfield 3 182.93x
Coundon 3 63.03x
Hulme 3 3.07x
Salford 3 2.18x
Tannadice 3 176.47x
West Rainton 3 82.42x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 2.92x
Edzell 2 178.57x
Gateshead 2 2.27x
Hampstead London 2 3.25x
Hetton Le Hole 2 13.43x
Kilmarnock 2 5.68x
Monifieth 2 15.47x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 6.56x
Poplar London 2 2.68x
Rotherhithe 2 4.10x
Thornley 2 47.06x
Auchterarder 1 20.20x
Barony 1 0.31x
Birkenhead 1 1.44x
Bow London 1 1.99x
Craig 1 28.33x
Croft 1 136.99x
Crossgate 1 19.46x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 1 32.47x
Elvet 1 11.79x
Fetteresso 1 13.26x
Fletton 1 39.84x
Fulham London 1 1.75x
Harraton 1 43.67x
Holyhead 1 7.66x
Houghton Le Spring 1 12.32x
Liff Benvie 1 1.80x
Lochlee 1 204.08x
Mains 1 32.15x
Mile End Old Town London 1 1.19x
Northfleet 1 8.42x
Panbride 1 52.36x
Reigate Foreign 1 4.80x
Seaton Carew 1 42.37x
South Leith 1 1.68x
Southwark St John 1 8.28x
Sunderland 1 4.82x
Toxteth Park 1 0.63x
West Ardsley 1 21.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ann 5
Elizabeth 5
Margaret 5
Alice 4
Frances 4
Isabella 4
Jane 4
Annie 3
Hannah 3
Catherine 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Agnes 1
Charles 1
Dora 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Emelia 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Lavinia 1
Linman 1
Margreat 1
Margret 1
Margt. 1
Matilda 1
N.C. 1
Nelly 1
Rachel 1
Sarah 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
James 7
Thomas 7
William 7
Michael 6
Robert 6
George 4
Joseph 4
Andrew 2
David 2
Frederick 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Cuthbert 1
Edward 1
H.H. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
Matthew 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Ralph 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Dakers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dakers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 406 people were recorded with the Dakers surname. That placed it at #7,880 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dakers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 358 in 2016. That gives Dakers a modern rank of #12,931.

What does the Dakers surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place called Dacre in Cumbria, England.

What does the Dakers map show?

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