NameCensus.

UK surname

Hawker

An occupational surname referring to a peddler or someone who sells goods, typically from a stall or cart.

In the 1881 census there were 2,286 people recorded with the Hawker surname, ranking it #1,954 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,071, ranked #2,193, down from #1,954 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Chard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tewkesbury, Bristol and West Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hawker is 3,559 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.3%.

1881 census count

2,286

Ranked #1,954

Modern count

3,071

2016, ranked #2,193

Peak year

1911

3,559 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hawker had 2,286 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,954 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,071 in 2016, ranked #2,193.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,559 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hawker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hawker surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hawker 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 1,608 #1,788
1861 historical 2,613 #1,126
1881 historical 2,286 #1,954
1891 historical 3,519 #1,354
1901 historical 3,056 #1,833
1911 historical 3,559 #1,467
1997 modern 3,154 #2,038
1998 modern 3,271 #2,050
1999 modern 3,315 #2,043
2000 modern 3,233 #2,078
2001 modern 3,164 #2,079
2002 modern 3,235 #2,079
2003 modern 3,119 #2,105
2004 modern 3,118 #2,102
2005 modern 3,036 #2,132
2006 modern 3,054 #2,126
2007 modern 3,038 #2,155
2008 modern 3,036 #2,163
2009 modern 3,097 #2,180
2010 modern 3,185 #2,175
2011 modern 3,147 #2,164
2012 modern 3,072 #2,176
2013 modern 3,122 #2,180
2014 modern 3,135 #2,187
2015 modern 3,086 #2,185
2016 modern 3,071 #2,193

Geography

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Where Hawkers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Chard, London parishes, Cheltenham and Axminster, Thorncombe, Uplyme. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tewkesbury, Bristol, West Somerset and West Dorset. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Chard Somerset
3 London parishes London 3
4 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
5 Axminster, Thorncombe, Uplyme Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tewkesbury 001 Tewkesbury
2 Bristol 002 Bristol, City of
3 West Somerset 001 West Somerset
4 West Dorset 008 West Dorset
5 West Dorset 011 West Dorset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hawker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hawker

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Hawker 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

Hawker 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

Hawker falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hawker

The surname Hawker is an English occupational surname derived from the Old English word 'hǽwcere', meaning a hawker or a person who carried merchandise from town to town for sale. The name originated in the 12th century and was first recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1182 as 'Haueker'.

The name Hawker can be traced back to the medieval period when hawkers were itinerant traders who sold goods from their hawhkayrs, or portable stalls. They would travel from village to village, selling various items such as haberdashery, books, and household goods. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where many hawkers plied their trade.

One of the earliest known references to the name Hawker can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded a William le Haueker in Cambridgeshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mention a John le Hauker. These records provide evidence of the name's early existence and its association with the occupation of hawking.

Notable individuals with the surname Hawker include Sir John Hawker (1643-1677), an English naval officer who served during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and Robert Hawker (1753-1827), an English clergyman and writer best known for his book "Incidents in the Life of the Rev. Robert Hawker, D.D." Another prominent figure is Peter Hawker (1786-1853), an English country gentleman and renowned writer on shooting and fishing.

In the 19th century, the name Hawker gained further recognition with the birth of Robert Stephen Hawker (1803-1875), a renowned Anglican clergyman and author from Cornwall, who is best known for his poem "The Song of the Western Men." Additionally, Mary Hawker (1848-1898) was a British novelist and children's author, known for her works such as "The Bread of Deception" and "The Cabul Felicity."

Hawker is also the name of several places in England, such as Hawker in Cornwall and Hawker's Hill in Suffolk, which may have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname or from the occupation of hawking in those areas.

The surname Hawker has a rich history deeply rooted in the English tradition of itinerant trade and commerce, and its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hawker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hawker 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. Gloucestershire leads with 413 Hawkers recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.41x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 413 9.41x
Middlesex 261 1.17x
Somerset 241 6.69x
Dorset 232 15.80x
Worcestershire 169 5.79x
Warwickshire 139 2.46x
Devon 118 2.53x
Surrey 102 0.94x
Kent 73 0.96x
Hampshire 72 1.57x
Lancashire 67 0.25x
Staffordshire 59 0.78x
Glamorgan 49 1.26x
Yorkshire 49 0.22x
Sussex 39 1.03x
Cornwall 34 1.34x
Monmouthshire 33 2.04x
Berkshire 24 1.43x
Leicestershire 16 0.65x
Essex 15 0.34x
Northamptonshire 13 0.62x
Cheshire 12 0.24x
Wiltshire 12 0.61x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.59x
Channel Islands 7 1.06x
Durham 6 0.09x
Hertfordshire 6 0.39x
Oxfordshire 5 0.36x
Derbyshire 4 0.11x
Midlothian 4 0.13x
Royal Navy 4 1.50x
Herefordshire 3 0.33x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.07x
Brecknockshire 1 0.22x
Norfolk 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chard in Somerset leads with 60 Hawkers recorded in 1881 and an index of 137.58x.

Place Total Index
Chard 60 137.58x
Islington London 59 2.72x
Birmingham 56 2.98x
Aston 53 3.41x
Thorncombe 52 616.11x
Cheltenham 51 15.07x
Leckhampton 33 122.09x
Clifton 28 12.63x
Beaminster 27 165.44x
Kingswinford 25 9.12x
Greenwich 24 6.74x
St Pancras London 24 1.33x
Camberwell 23 1.61x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 20 4.84x
Tewkesbury 20 51.09x
Eldersfield 19 413.94x
Lambeth 19 0.97x
Shoreditch London 19 1.96x
Beckford 18 507.04x
Kings Norton 18 6.87x
St George Hanover Square 17 4.31x
Brixton 16 423.28x
High Ham 16 186.48x
Kensington London 15 1.21x
Mosterton 15 607.29x
Somerton 15 102.04x
Thornbury 15 50.02x
Turkdean 15 652.17x
Withington 15 313.15x
Berkeley 14 57.35x
Brighton 14 1.84x
Colyton 14 78.30x
Mile End Old Town London 14 2.94x
Westbury On Severn East 14 14.12x
Chickerell 13 207.34x
Croydon 13 2.15x
Frampton On Severn 13 175.91x
Hammersmith London 13 2.36x
Coates 12 336.13x
Frampton 12 372.67x
Harborne 12 4.96x
Puddletrenthide 12 209.42x
Barnsley 11 4.81x
Cardiff St Mary 11 5.13x
Cheetham 11 5.56x
Hackney London 11 0.88x
Penarth 11 28.90x
Shipley 11 9.56x
Yeovil 11 15.04x
Bermondsey 10 1.50x
Bredon 10 100.20x
Exeter St Mary Major 10 35.63x
Llangynwyd Higher 10 53.45x
St Woollos 10 5.54x
West Coker 10 136.43x
Wivelsfield 10 67.84x
Bow London 9 3.16x
Bromley London 9 1.83x
Buckerell 9 461.54x
Cirencester 9 15.15x
Dursley 9 49.89x
Exeter St David 9 22.62x
Gloucester St Nicholas 9 44.31x
North Curry 9 73.47x
Northleach 9 138.89x
Odcombe 9 188.28x
St Marylebone London 9 0.75x
Badsey 8 180.59x
Broadway 8 137.22x
Daventry 8 26.88x
Loders 8 109.59x
Minster In Sheppey 8 6.33x
Newington 8 0.97x
Plymouth St Andrew 8 2.23x
St Luke London 8 2.23x
Stoke Upon Trent 8 1.00x
Stone 8 167.01x
Stonehouse East 8 33.87x
West Dean 8 11.23x
West Derby 8 1.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 140
Elizabeth 94
Sarah 67
Ann 49
Emma 48
Jane 48
Eliza 43
Ellen 43
Emily 38
Annie 33
Louisa 27
Alice 22
Fanny 21
Caroline 19
Hannah 19
Ada 15
Amelia 15
Edith 14
Kate 14
Charlotte 13
Clara 11
Frances 11
Maria 11
Susan 11
Anne 10
Martha 10
Ethel 9
Florence 9
Harriet 9
Lucy 9
Margaret 9
Rose 9
Agnes 7
Catherine 7
Elizth. 7
Esther 7
Bessie 6
Gertrude 6
Harriett 6
Julia 6
Laura 6
Matilda 6
Georgina 5
Helen 5
Isabella 5
Lydia 5
Selina 5
Eleanor 4
Minnie 4
Rosa 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 149
John 91
George 89
James 78
Charles 76
Thomas 60
Henry 46
Alfred 35
Frederick 29
Albert 27
Robert 27
Joseph 26
Arthur 19
Edward 18
Frank 16
Samuel 15
Richard 12
Edwin 11
Ernest 11
Harry 11
Walter 10
Herbert 9
Benjamin 8
Francis 8
Wm. 8
Eli 7
David 6
Tom 6
Fredk. 5
Isaac 5
Thos. 5
Fred 4
Geo. 4
Oliver 4
Percy 4
Sidney 4
Sydney 4
Chas. 3
J. 3
Job 3
Andrew 2
Gilbert 2
Horace 2
Infant 2
Jacob 2
Joe 2
Levi 2
Martin 2
Solomon 2
Tho. 2

FAQ

Hawker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hawker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,286 people were recorded with the Hawker surname. That placed it at #1,954 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hawker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,071 in 2016. That gives Hawker a modern rank of #2,193.

What does the Hawker surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a peddler or someone who sells goods, typically from a stall or cart.

What does the Hawker map show?

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