NameCensus.

UK surname

Hawking

A surname derived from the occupation of being a falconer or hawk trainer.

In the 1881 census there were 338 people recorded with the Hawking surname, ranking it #8,962 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 238, ranked #17,361, down from #8,962 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Iddesleigh, Lambeth and Kenton, Alphington, Dawlish. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Gloucestershire, Pembrokeshire and Torridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hawking is 410 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 29.6%.

1881 census count

338

Ranked #8,962

Modern count

238

2016, ranked #17,361

Peak year

1861

410 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hawking had 338 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,962 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 238 in 2016, ranked #17,361.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 410 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hawking surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hawking surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hawking 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 170 #11,780
1861 historical 410 #6,264
1881 historical 338 #8,962
1891 historical 369 #9,447
1901 historical 285 #12,063
1911 historical 291 #11,696
1997 modern 220 #16,607
1998 modern 229 #16,657
1999 modern 221 #17,126
2000 modern 216 #17,340
2001 modern 211 #17,376
2002 modern 205 #18,009
2003 modern 217 #17,176
2004 modern 213 #17,492
2005 modern 213 #17,435
2006 modern 214 #17,507
2007 modern 207 #18,080
2008 modern 210 #18,052
2009 modern 218 #18,015
2010 modern 220 #18,265
2011 modern 222 #17,999
2012 modern 214 #18,358
2013 modern 237 #17,423
2014 modern 238 #17,480
2015 modern 241 #17,235
2016 modern 238 #17,361

Geography

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Where Hawkings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Iddesleigh, Lambeth, Kenton, Alphington, Dawlish, St Ive and Calstock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Gloucestershire, Pembrokeshire, Torridge, West Devon and Bedford. 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 Iddesleigh Devon
2 Lambeth London (South Districts)
3 Kenton, Alphington, Dawlish Devon
4 St Ive Cornwall
5 Calstock Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Gloucestershire 024 South Gloucestershire
2 Pembrokeshire 001 Pembrokeshire
3 Torridge 009 Torridge
4 West Devon 003 West Devon
5 Bedford 015 Bedford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hawking

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hawking

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Hawking is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hawking is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hawking falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hawking

The surname Hawking is of English origin, derived from the occupation of hawking or falconry. It first emerged during the 11th century, around the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Hauekere," found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

The name is believed to have originated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, where falconry was a popular sport among the nobility. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include Robert le Hauekere, who lived in Norfolk in the 12th century, and William le Hauekere, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire in 1205.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname was Sir John Hawking, born around 1300, who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1328 and 1332. Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir Edward Hawking, a 15th-century landowner and military commander who fought in the Wars of the Roses.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname began to appear in various spellings, such as Hauking, Haukyng, and Hawkyng, reflecting the changing spelling conventions of the time. One notable individual from this period was Robert Hawking, a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1630s and became one of the founders of the town of Roxbury, Massachusetts.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable figures with the Hawking surname emerged, including John Hawking (1717-1789), an English mathematician and astronomer, and Thomas Hawking (1788-1867), a British naval officer who participated in the Napoleonic Wars.

One of the most famous bearers of the Hawking surname in modern times is the renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), known for his groundbreaking work on black holes and the origins of the universe.

While the name Hawking may have evolved over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the ancient sport of falconry, which was once a prestigious pursuit among the English nobility. Today, the surname continues to be borne by individuals around the world, carrying on the legacy of its rich history and diverse bearers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hawking families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hawking 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. Devon leads with 138 Hawkings recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.11x.

County Total Index
Devon 138 20.11x
Middlesex 48 1.46x
Cornwall 36 9.64x
Yorkshire 30 0.92x
Surrey 23 1.43x
Lancashire 10 0.26x
Glamorgan 9 1.57x
Essex 6 0.92x
Lincolnshire 6 1.14x
Somerset 6 1.13x
Durham 4 0.41x
Hertfordshire 4 1.76x
Berkshire 3 1.21x
Hampshire 3 0.44x
Kent 3 0.27x
Cheshire 2 0.27x
Gloucestershire 2 0.31x
Norfolk 1 0.20x
Oxfordshire 1 0.49x
Royal Navy 1 2.55x
Sussex 1 0.18x
Wiltshire 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Damerel in Devon leads with 36 Hawkings recorded in 1881 and an index of 74.95x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Damerel 36 74.95x
Holsworthy 22 1134.02x
Iddesleigh 15 3191.49x
Dawlish 10 195.31x
Rotherhithe 10 24.55x
Hammersmith London 9 11.08x
Lambeth 9 3.13x
Linton Upon Ouse 9 2647.06x
Menheniot 9 580.65x
Merthyr Tydfil 9 16.31x
Bromley London 8 11.03x
Hollacombe 8 6153.85x
Inwardleigh 8 1379.31x
St Marylebone London 8 4.54x
Tormoham 8 27.55x
Paddington London 7 5.77x
Shebbear 7 679.61x
Spalding 6 57.36x
West Ham 6 4.18x
Antony 5 138.89x
Barton Upon Irwell 5 16.98x
Highampton 5 1470.59x
Bennington 4 615.38x
Linkinhorne 4 153.85x
Little Lumley 4 689.66x
Middlesbrough 4 9.40x
Okehampton 4 154.44x
Plymouth St Andrew 4 7.57x
Raskelf 4 740.74x
St Ives 4 54.79x
Azerley 3 384.62x
Bridgewater 3 20.82x
Cowthorpe 3 2142.86x
Dalwood 3 638.30x
Islington London 3 0.94x
Kensington London 3 1.64x
Manchester 3 1.71x
Shoreditch London 3 2.10x
St Blazey 3 91.46x
St Ive 3 125.52x
Thornton Bridge 3 5000.00x
Botus Fleming 2 833.33x
Bradford 2 2.53x
Deptford St Paul 2 2.30x
Devonport 2 25.35x
Dodbrooke 2 147.06x
Kenwyn 2 20.49x
Landulph 2 350.88x
Limehouse London 2 5.52x
Northwood 2 20.79x
Plymouth Charles The 2 6.61x
Reading St Giles 2 8.24x
St Giles In Fields London 2 12.36x
Beenham 1 166.67x
Brinnington 1 14.71x
Bristol Temple 1 23.47x
Burnley 1 3.03x
Churchill 1 117.65x
Cliffe Pypard 1 114.94x
East Teignmouth 1 35.59x
Eastbourne 1 3.91x
Great Torrington 1 25.71x
Great Yarmouth 1 2.38x
Greenwich 1 1.91x
Hackney London 1 0.54x
Landrake 1 120.48x
Leeds 1 0.54x
Newington 1 0.82x
Oxford St Martin 1 303.03x
Poplar London 1 1.61x
Portsmouth 1 6.43x
Reigate Borough 1 26.95x
Royal Navy 1 2.98x
Scriven Cum Tentergate 1 82.64x
Southwark Christchurch 1 6.47x
Spitalfields London 1 4.03x
Walcot 1 3.54x
Walton On Thames 1 13.55x
Wigan 1 1.83x
Winchcomb 1 31.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 19
Emily 7
Jane 7
Ann 6
Martha 6
Annie 5
Eliza 5
Sarah 5
Alice 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Caroline 3
Edith 3
Rose 3
Ada 2
Bessie 2
Celia 2
Eva 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Ida 2
Laura 2
Louisa 2
Minnie 2
Priscilla 2
Susannah 2
Thurza 2
Agnes 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Eda 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Fannie 1
Fanny 1
Florince 1
Francis 1
Henrietta 1
Kate 1
Katharine 1
Lizzie 1
Lotta 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Mable 1
Una 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 22
John 21
George 18
Thomas 11
Henry 7
Richard 7
Edward 5
James 5
Samuel 5
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Frederick 4
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Nicholas 3
Robert 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
David 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Ambrose 1
Arscott 1
Benjamin 1
Bertie 1
Calab 1
Caleb 1
Eli 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Gilbert 1
H...y 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Josiah 1
Mathew 1
Moses 1
Nathaniel 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Studey 1
Tom 1
W. 1
Wm. 1
Wm.T. 1

FAQ

Hawking surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hawking surname in 1881?

In 1881, 338 people were recorded with the Hawking surname. That placed it at #8,962 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hawking surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 238 in 2016. That gives Hawking a modern rank of #17,361.

What does the Hawking surname mean?

A surname derived from the occupation of being a falconer or hawk trainer.

What does the Hawking map show?

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