NameCensus.

UK surname

Deeks

An English surname derived from the Middle English word "deke" meaning a dike or ditch digger.

In the 1881 census there were 957 people recorded with the Deeks surname, ranking it #4,049 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 912, ranked #6,246, down from #4,049 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hadleigh, Clare and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Bridgend and Babergh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Deeks is 1,086 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.7%.

1881 census count

957

Ranked #4,049

Modern count

912

2016, ranked #6,246

Peak year

1901

1,086 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Deeks had 957 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,049 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 912 in 2016, ranked #6,246.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,086 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Deeks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Deeks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Deeks 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 526 #4,768
1861 historical 332 #7,673
1881 historical 957 #4,049
1891 historical 886 #4,652
1901 historical 1,086 #4,452
1911 historical 1,063 #4,351
1997 modern 1,025 #5,376
1998 modern 1,036 #5,511
1999 modern 1,048 #5,492
2000 modern 1,041 #5,502
2001 modern 1,002 #5,574
2002 modern 999 #5,691
2003 modern 966 #5,752
2004 modern 969 #5,748
2005 modern 945 #5,810
2006 modern 911 #5,977
2007 modern 924 #5,965
2008 modern 925 #6,008
2009 modern 960 #5,961
2010 modern 975 #5,990
2011 modern 944 #6,094
2012 modern 926 #6,116
2013 modern 944 #6,111
2014 modern 936 #6,200
2015 modern 914 #6,258
2016 modern 912 #6,246

Geography

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Where Deeks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hadleigh, Clare, London parishes 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 St Edmundsbury, Bridgend and Babergh. 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 Hadleigh Suffolk
2 Clare Suffolk
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 011 St Edmundsbury
2 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
3 Bridgend 019 Bridgend
4 Babergh 009 Babergh
5 Babergh 007 Babergh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Deeks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Deeks

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Deeks is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Deeks 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

Deeks 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 Deeks 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 Deeks, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Deeks

The surname Deeks has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dic," which means a dike or ditch, suggesting the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a dike or ditch.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deeks can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, where a Robert le Dike is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the connection to the Old English word "dic."

In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Dyke, Dike, and Dycke, as documented in historical records from counties like Essex, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. The name Deeks itself emerged as a variant spelling during the 16th century.

Notable historical figures with the surname Deeks include Sir Robert Deeks (1619-1687), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1681. Another prominent individual was John Deeks (1756-1828), a British engraver and publisher known for his topographical prints and county maps.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Deeks or its early variants. However, it does record several individuals with the name Dike, which could be related to the same etymology.

In the 18th century, the name Deeks gained further recognition with Thomas Deeks (1733-1809), an English inventor and engineer who patented several improvements to the steam engine. Another notable figure was Samuel Deeks (1776-1853), a British artist and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural prints.

Across various historical records, the surname Deeks has appeared in various spellings, including Dikes, Dyckes, Dycks, and Dicks, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and individual variations in spelling over time.

While the surname Deeks originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and dissemination, with families bearing this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Deeks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Deeks 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. Suffolk leads with 253 Deeks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.23x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 253 22.23x
Essex 221 11.98x
Middlesex 217 2.32x
Surrey 75 1.65x
Norfolk 41 2.85x
Kent 33 1.03x
Cambridgeshire 25 4.22x
Yorkshire 17 0.18x
Sussex 9 0.57x
Denbighshire 8 2.27x
Derbyshire 8 0.55x
Cheshire 7 0.34x
Hertfordshire 7 1.09x
Warwickshire 7 0.30x
Bedfordshire 6 1.24x
Lincolnshire 6 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.40x
Berkshire 4 0.57x
Hampshire 3 0.16x
Somerset 2 0.13x
Dorset 1 0.16x
Leicestershire 1 0.10x
Northumberland 1 0.07x
Worcestershire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Long Melford in Suffolk leads with 38 Deeks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 359.17x.

Place Total Index
Long Melford 38 359.17x
Kedington 35 1162.79x
Islington London 32 3.53x
Great Oakley 31 1050.85x
St George Hanover Square 23 13.97x
Clare 22 403.67x
Bury St Edmunds St James 18 59.21x
St Pancras London 18 2.39x
Camberwell 17 2.85x
Cavendish 17 461.96x
Stoke By Clare 15 1071.43x
Greenwich 14 9.41x
Lambeth 14 1.72x
Bromley London 13 6.32x
St Andrewthe Less 13 19.23x
West Ham 13 3.19x
Halstead 12 55.76x
Hargrave 12 895.52x
Hundon 12 422.54x
Newington 12 3.48x
Poplar London 12 6.80x
Hackney London 11 2.10x
Hadleigh 11 99.64x
Paddington London 11 3.20x
Wells Next Sea 11 131.26x
Limehouse London 10 9.75x
Newmarket St Mary 10 114.42x
Bethnal Green London 9 2.22x
Kelvedon 9 182.93x
Little Oakley 9 882.35x
Mile End Old Town London 9 4.52x
Rainham 9 224.44x
Chelsea London 8 2.84x
Deptford St Paul 8 3.25x
Glemsford 8 100.13x
Great Yarmouth 8 6.72x
Halifax 8 5.88x
New Buckenham 8 449.44x
Normanton 8 64.72x
Ruabon 8 16.48x
Stratton St Michael 8 952.38x
Battersea 7 2.04x
Cockfield 7 234.90x
Colchester St Runwald 7 707.07x
Denston 7 823.53x
Hampstead London 7 4.81x
Havering 7 492.96x
Ipswich St Mathew 7 21.94x
Latchingdon Snoreham 7 397.73x
Leyton 7 22.03x
Little Totham 7 693.07x
Paglesham 7 426.83x
Richmond 7 10.97x
Sible Hedingham 7 113.64x
St Marylebone London 7 1.40x
Teddington London 7 33.07x
Thorpe 7 358.97x
Bishop Stortford 6 27.88x
Brentwood 6 53.33x
East Tilbury 6 461.54x
Louth 6 17.52x
Rotherhithe 6 5.20x
Boxted 5 189.39x
Brighton 5 1.57x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 5 23.41x
Eltham 5 26.77x
Hornchurch 5 55.31x
Ixworth 5 155.76x
Kensington London 5 0.96x
Newmarket All Sts 5 114.42x
Nottingham St Mary 5 1.53x
Willesden 5 5.68x
Beaumont 4 291.97x
Bermondsey 4 1.44x
Colchester St Giles 4 21.94x
Dovercourt 4 61.63x
Mundon 4 388.35x
Runcorn 4 8.41x
Sandhurst 4 29.43x
Springfield 4 49.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 53
John 47
George 42
Charles 28
James 27
Henry 23
Thomas 21
Arthur 16
Edward 15
Joseph 12
Alfred 11
Walter 10
Robert 9
David 7
Frederick 7
Herbert 7
Albert 6
Ernest 6
Harry 6
Richard 6
Samuel 6
Frank 5
Abraham 4
Stephen 4
Edgar 3
Francis 3
Fredk. 3
Fredrick 3
Jas. 3
Wm. 3
Benjamin 2
Edwin 2
Fred 2
Isaac 2
Isac 2
Noah 2
Thos. 2
Vincent 2
Allan 1
Andrew 1
Bertie 1
Bowers 1
Chas. 1
Edwd 1
Elisha 1
Horace 1
Horatio 1
Israel 1
Jeptha 1
Wm.T. 1

FAQ

Deeks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Deeks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 957 people were recorded with the Deeks surname. That placed it at #4,049 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Deeks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 912 in 2016. That gives Deeks a modern rank of #6,246.

What does the Deeks surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Middle English word "deke" meaning a dike or ditch digger.

What does the Deeks map show?

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