NameCensus.

UK surname

Hackett

An English occupational surname referring to a maker of hacks, or axes and other cutting tools.

In the 1881 census there were 3,528 people recorded with the Hackett surname, ranking it #1,283 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,548, ranked #1,029, up from #1,283 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rowley Regis, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dudley and Sandwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hackett is 6,818 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 85.6%.

1881 census count

3,528

Ranked #1,283

Modern count

6,548

2016, ranked #1,029

Peak year

2010

6,818 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hackett had 3,528 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,283 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,548 in 2016, ranked #1,029.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,508 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hackett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hackett surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hackett 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 1,925 #1,504
1861 historical 2,043 #1,415
1881 historical 3,528 #1,283
1891 historical 3,998 #1,198
1901 historical 4,964 #1,137
1911 historical 5,508 #945
1997 modern 6,591 #988
1998 modern 6,727 #1,005
1999 modern 6,765 #1,010
2000 modern 6,679 #1,017
2001 modern 6,549 #1,010
2002 modern 6,682 #1,013
2003 modern 6,485 #1,024
2004 modern 6,527 #1,017
2005 modern 6,421 #1,019
2006 modern 6,466 #1,012
2007 modern 6,476 #1,019
2008 modern 6,534 #1,015
2009 modern 6,725 #1,007
2010 modern 6,818 #1,013
2011 modern 6,748 #1,009
2012 modern 6,541 #1,020
2013 modern 6,616 #1,029
2014 modern 6,707 #1,021
2015 modern 6,594 #1,029
2016 modern 6,548 #1,029

Geography

Back to top

Where Hacketts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rowley Regis, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dudley and Sandwell. 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 Rowley Regis Staffordshire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dudley 039 Dudley
2 Dudley 034 Dudley
3 Dudley 033 Dudley
4 Sandwell 035 Sandwell
5 Dudley 043 Dudley

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hackett

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hackett

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

Hackett is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hackett falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hackett is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hackett

The surname Hackett is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "haca" meaning a hack or hook. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for a maker or seller of hooks, hatchets, or other tools with a hooked blade.

The name Hackett can be traced back to the 12th century in the county of Lancashire, England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1198, where a person named Richard Hacket is mentioned.

In the 13th century, the surname Hackett is found in various records across England, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a William Hacket is listed. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain any direct references to the surname Hackett, but it does mention the place name "Hacket" in Shropshire, which may have been derived from the same root word.

Notable individuals with the surname Hackett include John Hacket (1592-1670), an English bishop and author who served as the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. Another notable figure is James Keteltas Hackett (1869-1926), an American actor and playwright best known for his portrayal of the character Falstaff in Shakespeare's plays.

In the 16th century, the Hackett family held lands in Warwickshire and Staffordshire, and a coat of arms was granted to the Hackett family of Moseley, Worcestershire, in 1591. The blazon of this coat of arms includes three hatchets, a reference to the etymological origin of the name.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hackett include Sir John Waller Hackett (1848-1916), an English civil servant and writer, and Albert Hackett (1900-1995), an American playwright and screenwriter who co-wrote the screenplay for the classic film "The Diary of Anne Frank."

The surname Hackett has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Hacket, Haket, and Hackitt, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hackett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hackett 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. Staffordshire leads with 558 Hacketts recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.80x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 558 4.80x
Lancashire 484 1.19x
Worcestershire 380 8.46x
Middlesex 298 0.87x
Warwickshire 257 2.96x
Leicestershire 218 5.71x
Surrey 157 0.94x
Yorkshire 153 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 133 2.87x
Derbyshire 114 2.12x
Sussex 114 1.96x
Kent 61 0.52x
Durham 57 0.56x
Huntingdonshire 51 7.46x
Hampshire 42 0.60x
Lincolnshire 40 0.73x
Northamptonshire 35 1.08x
Cheshire 29 0.38x
Lanarkshire 26 0.23x
Aberdeenshire 24 0.75x
Herefordshire 24 1.70x
Midlothian 24 0.52x
Shropshire 24 0.81x
Somerset 21 0.38x
Essex 15 0.22x
Glamorgan 15 0.25x
Buckinghamshire 13 0.62x
Oxfordshire 13 0.61x
Rutland 11 4.35x
Gloucestershire 10 0.15x
Northumberland 10 0.20x
Monmouthshire 9 0.36x
Suffolk 9 0.21x
Wiltshire 9 0.30x
Berkshire 8 0.31x
Dumfriesshire 8 1.05x
Channel Islands 7 0.69x
Dorset 7 0.31x
Bedfordshire 6 0.34x
East Lothian 6 1.32x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.55x
Ayrshire 5 0.19x
Hertfordshire 5 0.21x
Royal Navy 5 1.22x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.43x
Flintshire 3 0.32x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.60x
Westmorland 3 0.40x
Angus 2 0.06x
Berwickshire 2 0.48x
Devon 2 0.03x
Denbighshire 1 0.08x
Fife 1 0.05x
Inverness-shire 1 0.10x
Norfolk 1 0.02x
Renfrewshire 1 0.04x
Roxburghshire 1 0.16x
Stirlingshire 1 0.08x
West Lothian 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Halesowen in Worcestershire leads with 211 Hacketts recorded in 1881 and an index of 534.85x.

Place Total Index
Halesowen 211 534.85x
Rowley Regis 202 62.40x
Birmingham 104 3.60x
Leicester St Margaret 87 9.35x
Hasbury 77 261.99x
Manchester 67 3.65x
Harborne 61 16.38x
Nuneaton 43 42.76x
Liverpool 42 1.69x
Aston 37 1.55x
Chidham 36 1150.16x
Hackney London 36 1.87x
Dudley 35 6.41x
Great Staughton 35 264.15x
Islington London 34 1.02x
Leeds 33 1.71x
Barrow In Furness 30 5.40x
Nottingham St Mary 30 2.50x
Burton Upon Trent 29 10.67x
Chelsea London 26 2.51x
Bermondsey 25 2.44x
Fulham London 25 5.01x
Rugeley 25 29.99x
Egham 24 23.31x
Kington 23 65.83x
Kirkdale 23 3.35x
Leicester St Mary 23 7.46x
Bethnal Green London 21 1.40x
Hulme 21 2.46x
West Derby 21 1.76x
Lichfield St Michael 20 54.85x
Kingswinford 19 4.50x
Hinckley 18 19.89x
Stapenhill 18 22.44x
Everton 17 1.31x
Frome 17 12.83x
Harringworth 17 395.35x
Deptford St Paul 16 1.77x
Lambeth 16 0.53x
Snenton 16 8.78x
Stapleford 16 42.47x
Subdeanery 16 36.35x
The Hill 16 55.44x
Toxteth Park 16 1.16x
Warrington 16 3.31x
Bow London 15 3.42x
Salford 15 1.25x
Barlestone 14 167.87x
Basford 14 6.55x
Brightside Bierlow 14 2.09x
Preston 14 1.28x
Southwark St George Martyr 14 2.02x
Wednesbury 14 4.82x
Yardley 14 12.18x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 13 0.70x
Foleshill 13 14.24x
Horninglow 13 23.76x
Papplewick 13 333.33x
Shoreditch London 13 0.87x
Sowe 13 83.17x
Wigston Magna 13 25.69x
Alrewas 12 106.67x
Alrewas Hays Orgreave 12 446.10x
Ashton Under Lyne 12 1.34x
Barony 12 0.43x
Bulwell 12 11.90x
Croydon 12 1.29x
Newport Pagnell 12 27.58x
St Luke London 12 2.17x
Barton Under Needwood 11 52.13x
Carisbrooke 11 11.23x
Caythorpe 11 104.07x
Newtown Linford 11 192.98x
Pagham 11 107.32x
Camberwell 10 0.45x
Crumpsall 10 10.39x
Gorton 10 2.60x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 10 2.26x
Ilkeston 10 6.62x
Kingston On Thames 10 2.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 245
Sarah 140
Elizabeth 112
Ann 88
Eliza 68
Emma 56
Ellen 53
Jane 52
Alice 41
Hannah 38
Annie 33
Margaret 32
Emily 31
Catherine 30
Martha 29
Fanny 24
Caroline 22
Charlotte 21
Florence 19
Harriett 19
Ada 18
Louisa 18
Anne 17
Maria 17
Edith 16
Agnes 15
Harriet 15
Kate 14
Rose 14
Frances 13
Lucy 11
Lydia 11
Phoebe 11
Amelia 10
Matilda 10
Amy 9
Esther 9
Bridget 8
Clara 8
Julia 8
Susan 8
Elizth. 7
Sophia 7
Lilly 6
Mercy 6
Anna 5
Gertrude 5
Minnie 5
Nellie 5
Rebecca 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 215
William 213
Thomas 143
James 114
George 102
Joseph 85
Charles 76
Henry 50
Alfred 43
Samuel 43
Arthur 41
Edward 38
Harry 28
Walter 20
Frederick 19
Patrick 19
Richard 19
Benjamin 18
Edwin 18
Albert 16
David 16
Francis 16
Robert 15
Frank 12
Wm. 12
Ernest 10
Stephen 10
Herbert 9
Daniel 8
Josiah 8
Michael 8
Enoch 7
Peter 7
Andrew 6
Christopher 6
Geo. 6
Jas. 5
Percy 4
Reuben 4
Thos. 4
Willm. 4
Alexander 3
Burdett 3
Fredrick 3
Hary 3
Isaac 3
Jesse 3
Jonathan 3
Morris 3
Ralph 3

FAQ

Hackett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hackett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,528 people were recorded with the Hackett surname. That placed it at #1,283 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hackett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,548 in 2016. That gives Hackett a modern rank of #1,029.

What does the Hackett surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a maker of hacks, or axes and other cutting tools.

What does the Hackett map show?

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