NameCensus.

UK surname

Hacker

An occupational surname referring to someone who hacks wood or makes hoes, tools for digging and shaping soil.

In the 1881 census there were 1,116 people recorded with the Hacker surname, ranking it #3,574 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,184, ranked #5,022, down from #3,574 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Swindon, Lyddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torfaen, Bristol and Poole.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hacker is 1,516 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.1%.

1881 census count

1,116

Ranked #3,574

Modern count

1,184

2016, ranked #5,022

Peak year

1911

1,516 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hacker had 1,116 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,574 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,184 in 2016, ranked #5,022.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,516 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hacker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hacker surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hacker 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 705 #3,701
1861 historical 933 #2,972
1881 historical 1,116 #3,574
1891 historical 1,173 #3,645
1901 historical 1,301 #3,834
1911 historical 1,516 #3,190
1997 modern 1,292 #4,416
1998 modern 1,320 #4,502
1999 modern 1,325 #4,520
2000 modern 1,294 #4,599
2001 modern 1,268 #4,585
2002 modern 1,269 #4,679
2003 modern 1,234 #4,698
2004 modern 1,226 #4,718
2005 modern 1,203 #4,748
2006 modern 1,188 #4,814
2007 modern 1,182 #4,871
2008 modern 1,178 #4,912
2009 modern 1,208 #4,913
2010 modern 1,217 #4,981
2011 modern 1,210 #4,931
2012 modern 1,173 #5,002
2013 modern 1,195 #4,999
2014 modern 1,203 #5,007
2015 modern 1,188 #5,016
2016 modern 1,184 #5,022

Geography

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Where Hackers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Swindon, Lyddington, London parishes and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torfaen, Bristol, Poole and Swindon. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Swindon, Lyddington Wiltshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torfaen 004 Torfaen
2 Bristol 049 Bristol, City of
3 Poole 013 Poole
4 Swindon 025 Swindon
5 Bristol 052 Bristol, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hacker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hacker

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

Hacker is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hacker falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hacker

The surname Hacker has its roots in the German language, originating in Germany during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "Hacker," which referred to a person who worked with a hoe or mattock, a tool used for digging and breaking up soil. This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely farmers or agricultural workers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hacker can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfaliarum, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, where a certain "Wernherus Hacker" is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use during this time period, particularly in the Westphalia region of Germany.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from different parts of Germany, such as the Urkundenbuch des Klosters Eberbach, where a "Heinricus Hacker" is mentioned in 1271, and the Urkundenbuch des Klosters Arnsburg, which references a "Cunradus Hacker" in 1292.

The surname Hacker has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Hackenheim and Hackenberg, which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the name in certain regions.

One notable bearer of the surname Hacker was Johann Hacker (1664-1738), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. Another prominent figure was Christian Hacker (1714-1782), a German theologian and writer who authored several works on religion and philosophy.

In the 19th century, Johann Nepomuk Hacker (1813-1891) was a German Catholic theologian and writer who served as the Bishop of Bamberg from 1884 until his death. Georg Hacker (1835-1923) was a German Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the Catholic Church in Germany.

The surname Hacker also found its way to other parts of Europe, including Austria, where Franz Hacker (1900-1980) was a notable Austrian writer and poet, known for his works exploring themes of love, nature, and human existence.

While the surname Hacker has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including English-speaking countries, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hacker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hacker 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. Wiltshire leads with 236 Hackers recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.45x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 236 24.45x
Gloucestershire 172 8.03x
Middlesex 160 1.47x
Somerset 93 5.29x
Surrey 87 1.64x
Devon 41 1.80x
Kent 32 0.86x
Dorset 31 4.33x
Sussex 30 1.63x
Yorkshire 30 0.28x
Lancashire 27 0.21x
Hampshire 26 1.16x
Warwickshire 25 0.91x
Durham 16 0.49x
Glamorgan 11 0.58x
Cornwall 10 0.81x
Berkshire 9 1.10x
Cambridgeshire 9 1.30x
Monmouthshire 9 1.14x
Cheshire 8 0.33x
Derbyshire 7 0.41x
Essex 7 0.32x
Northumberland 6 0.37x
Suffolk 6 0.45x
Staffordshire 5 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.45x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.92x
Norfolk 2 0.12x
Anglesey 1 0.52x
Cumberland 1 0.11x
Herefordshire 1 0.22x
Hertfordshire 1 0.13x
Kincardineshire 1 0.75x
Leicestershire 1 0.08x
Midlothian 1 0.07x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.77x
Rutland 1 1.25x
Shropshire 1 0.11x
Worcestershire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire leads with 57 Hackers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3184.36x.

Place Total Index
Fonthill Gifford 57 3184.36x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 33 16.37x
Bristol St George 25 25.25x
Hindon 25 1207.73x
Brighton 24 6.46x
Swindon 24 32.05x
St Pancras London 22 2.50x
Frampton Cotterell 21 279.63x
Broad Hinton 19 922.33x
Shaftesbury Holy Trinity 19 513.51x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 18 45.95x
Islington London 18 1.70x
Birmingham 17 1.85x
Bethnal Green London 16 3.37x
Tamerton Foliott 16 366.13x
Bishops Fonthill 15 2054.79x
Lambeth 15 1.58x
Newington 13 3.22x
Cheltenham 12 7.27x
East Tisbury 12 360.36x
Hackney London 12 1.96x
St Martin In Fields 12 18.36x
Bitton 11 59.04x
Chelsea London 11 3.34x
Ramsbury 11 125.86x
Weston Super Mare 11 24.79x
Bristol St James St Paul 9 12.61x
Clifton 9 8.32x
Deptford St Paul 9 3.13x
Kewstoke 9 324.91x
Newington 9 30.21x
West Lavington 9 194.38x
Aberdare 8 6.13x
Aberystruth 8 11.50x
Coleshill 8 689.66x
Haddenham 8 123.08x
North Bradley 8 113.48x
Snodland 8 75.76x
Southwark St George Martyr 8 3.64x
Westbury On Trym 8 11.03x
Aston 7 0.92x
Berkeley 7 58.77x
Bermondsey 7 2.15x
Bradford 7 2.67x
Camberwell 7 1.00x
Chester St John Baptist 7 16.16x
Easton In Gordano 7 99.01x
Hornsey 7 5.07x
Keynsham 7 55.47x
Melbury Abbas 7 569.11x
Ogbourne St Andrew 7 424.24x
Sherborne St John 7 290.46x
Shoreditch London 7 1.48x
St George Martyr London 7 31.66x
Willington 7 364.58x
Bath St James 6 32.73x
Betchworth 6 91.46x
Brancepeth 6 101.69x
Clevedon 6 32.84x
Easton 6 769.23x
Hillmarton 6 250.00x
Leyton 6 16.17x
Lyncombe Widcombe 6 13.04x
Manchester 6 1.03x
Plymouth Charles The 6 5.99x
Southwark St John 6 17.97x
Stoke 6 23.90x
Swanscombe 6 35.86x
Battersea 5 1.24x
Chirton 5 13.60x
Chisledon 5 113.90x
Crumpsall 5 16.38x
Keinton Mandeville 5 248.76x
Kensington London 5 0.82x
Paddington London 5 1.25x
Padstow 5 60.90x
St George Hanover Square 5 2.60x
St Peter Cornhill London 5 1086.96x
Ventnor 5 23.50x
Wroughton 5 59.81x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 66
John 49
George 40
Henry 37
James 33
Charles 25
Joseph 22
Thomas 17
Edward 15
Albert 14
Ernest 11
Frederick 11
Arthur 9
Alfred 8
Harry 8
Robert 8
Herbert 7
Walter 7
Edwin 6
Jacob 6
Frank 5
Fred 5
Richard 5
Tom 5
Daniel 4
Isaac 4
Sydney 4
Andrew 3
Elijah 3
Geo. 3
Oliver 3
Samuel 3
Stephen 3
Allen 2
Benjamin 2
David 2
Eli 2
Fredrick 2
Job 2
Lot 2
Louis 2
Luke 2
Peter 2
Reuben 2
Rowland 2
Theodore 2
Thos. 2
Elias 1
Elisha 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Hacker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hacker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,116 people were recorded with the Hacker surname. That placed it at #3,574 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hacker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,184 in 2016. That gives Hacker a modern rank of #5,022.

What does the Hacker surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who hacks wood or makes hoes, tools for digging and shaping soil.

What does the Hacker map show?

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