NameCensus.

UK surname

Duker

A surname derived from the Dutch word "duiker" meaning "diver."

In the 1881 census there were 28 people recorded with the Duker surname, ranking it #29,646 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 98, ranked #31,470, down from #29,646 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, St Pancras and Pontefract. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolton, Wakefield and Winchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Duker is 136 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 250.0%.

1881 census count

28

Ranked #29,646

Modern count

98

2016, ranked #31,470

Peak year

1861

136 bearers

Map years

1

1861 to 1861

Key insights

  • Duker had 28 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,646 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016, ranked #31,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 136 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Duker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Duker surname density by area, 1861 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Duker 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 52 #23,915
1861 historical 136 #16,556
1881 historical 28 #29,646
1891 historical 75 #27,414
1901 historical 98 #23,119
1911 historical 66 #26,249
1997 modern 94 #27,781
1998 modern 98 #27,923
1999 modern 95 #28,465
2000 modern 94 #28,573
2001 modern 89 #28,932
2002 modern 94 #28,797
2003 modern 95 #28,536
2004 modern 87 #29,897
2005 modern 90 #29,527
2006 modern 89 #30,027
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 94 #29,950
2009 modern 96 #30,239
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 97 #30,552
2012 modern 98 #30,612
2013 modern 100 #30,773
2014 modern 97 #31,518
2015 modern 98 #31,342
2016 modern 98 #31,470

Geography

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Where Dukers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, St Pancras, Pontefract, Torbryan, Denbury, Highweek and Battle. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolton, Wakefield, Winchester and Stevenage. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Pontefract Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Torbryan, Denbury, Highweek Devon
5 Battle Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolton 019 Bolton
2 Wakefield 018 Wakefield
3 Winchester 005 Winchester
4 Wakefield 012 Wakefield
5 Stevenage 012 Stevenage

Forenames

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First names often paired with Duker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Duker

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Duker surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Duker household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Duker 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

Duker is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Duker 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 Duker is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Duker

The surname DUKER has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dukere," which referred to a diver or a person who hunted for waterfowl. This name likely originated from a nickname given to someone whose occupation involved diving or working near bodies of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DUKER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1199, where a person named Willelmus Dukere is mentioned. Additionally, the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1205 contain a reference to a certain Robertus Dukere.

In the early 13th century, the name DUKER appeared in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a legal record of land transactions. This document, dated 1236, mentions a person named Johannes Dukere, providing evidence of the name's presence in the region during that time period.

The surname DUKER has also been found in various medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1274, which lists a person named Radulfus le Dukere. The presence of the prefix "le" suggests that the name had already evolved into a hereditary surname by that point.

One notable individual bearing the DUKER surname was William Duker, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the 15th century. He is mentioned in the City of London Records from 1450, where he is described as a prominent citizen and trader.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Duker, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. He was born in 1563 and served as a member of parliament for the borough of Malmesbury during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the DUKER surname was found in various parish records and court documents across England. One such example is John Duker, a landowner from Gloucestershire, whose name appears in the Manorial Records of the county in 1612.

Moving into the 18th century, the DUKER surname continued to be present in various records, including the marriage registers of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, which mention a certain Robert Duker who married in 1745.

Another notable figure from this period was Edward Duker, a renowned mathematician and astronomer who was born in 1690 in Yorkshire. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1723.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Duker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Duker 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 12 Dukers recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.44x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 12 4.44x
Lancashire 9 2.78x
Middlesex 4 1.47x
Buckinghamshire 3 18.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 9 Dukers recorded in 1881 and an index of 58.94x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 9 58.94x
Toxteth Park 5 45.62x
Great Bolton 4 93.24x
Pontefract 3 517.24x
Spitalfields London 3 146.34x
West Wycombe 3 1363.64x
St Marylebone London 1 6.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Sarah 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Bridget 1
Hannah 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Susanh 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Martin 3
John 2
Michael 2
Patrick 2
William 2
David 1
Henry 1
James 1
Thomas 1

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 Duker households.

FAQ

Duker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Duker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 28 people were recorded with the Duker surname. That placed it at #29,646 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Duker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016. That gives Duker a modern rank of #31,470.

What does the Duker surname mean?

A surname derived from the Dutch word "duiker" meaning "diver."

What does the Duker map show?

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