NameCensus.

UK surname

Hooker

An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold hooks, or lived near a hook-shaped river bend.

In the 1881 census there were 2,560 people recorded with the Hooker surname, ranking it #1,747 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,635, ranked #2,532, down from #1,747 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, West Lindsey and Epping Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hooker is 3,372 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.9%.

1881 census count

2,560

Ranked #1,747

Modern count

2,635

2016, ranked #2,532

Peak year

1911

3,372 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hooker had 2,560 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,747 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,635 in 2016, ranked #2,532.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,372 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hooker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hooker surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hooker 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 1,802 #1,601
1861 historical 1,557 #1,825
1881 historical 2,560 #1,747
1891 historical 2,704 #1,757
1901 historical 3,110 #1,797
1911 historical 3,372 #1,549
1997 modern 3,145 #2,044
1998 modern 3,260 #2,058
1999 modern 3,258 #2,075
2000 modern 3,158 #2,128
2001 modern 3,096 #2,123
2002 modern 3,071 #2,192
2003 modern 2,976 #2,210
2004 modern 2,962 #2,218
2005 modern 2,830 #2,295
2006 modern 2,824 #2,301
2007 modern 2,798 #2,336
2008 modern 2,780 #2,374
2009 modern 2,833 #2,388
2010 modern 2,845 #2,419
2011 modern 2,787 #2,433
2012 modern 2,721 #2,441
2013 modern 2,754 #2,457
2014 modern 2,735 #2,483
2015 modern 2,692 #2,497
2016 modern 2,635 #2,532

Geography

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Where Hookers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, West Lindsey, Epping Forest, North Norfolk and Huntingdonshire. 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 London parishes London 1
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 004 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 West Lindsey 001 West Lindsey
3 Epping Forest 010 Epping Forest
4 North Norfolk 010 North Norfolk
5 Huntingdonshire 014 Huntingdonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hooker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hooker

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hooker is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hooker 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

Hooker falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hooker

The surname Hooker originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word 'hoc', meaning hook, and referred to a maker or seller of hooks used for various purposes, such as fishing or fastening objects together.

The earliest known record of the surname Hooker dates back to the 13th century, with Robert le Hokere appearing in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1273. Another early reference can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, mentioning a John le Hokere.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Hoker, Hokere, and Hooker, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. One notable example is Richard Hooker (1554-1600), an influential Anglican theologian and author of the influential work "Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity".

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Hooker surname gained prominence, with several individuals making significant contributions to various fields. One such figure was Thomas Hooker (1586-1647), a Puritan colonial leader and the founder of the Colony of Connecticut. Another notable Hooker was Sir William Hooker (1785-1865), a renowned botanist and the first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The surname also has ties to specific locations, such as Hooker's Green in Oxfordshire, which likely derived its name from individuals bearing the surname Hooker residing in the area.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hooker include Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911), a renowned botanist and explorer who succeeded his father, Sir William Hooker, as the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and Tom Hooker (1765-1829), an American pioneer and one of the founders of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.

While the surname Hooker originated as an occupational name, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history and numerous notable bearers across various fields and regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hooker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hooker 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. Kent leads with 569 Hookers recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.68x.

County Total Index
Kent 569 6.68x
Middlesex 507 2.03x
Surrey 432 3.55x
Sussex 239 5.68x
Hampshire 208 4.06x
Lancashire 90 0.30x
Hertfordshire 59 3.43x
Essex 58 1.18x
Norfolk 53 1.38x
Devon 52 1.00x
Cornwall 39 1.38x
Staffordshire 29 0.34x
Bedfordshire 28 2.17x
Yorkshire 25 0.10x
Cheshire 17 0.31x
Lincolnshire 17 0.43x
Durham 16 0.22x
Suffolk 16 0.53x
Cambridgeshire 12 0.76x
Northamptonshire 11 0.47x
Northumberland 10 0.27x
Berkshire 8 0.43x
Gloucestershire 8 0.16x
Somerset 7 0.17x
Wiltshire 7 0.32x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.40x
Glamorgan 6 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.18x
Midlothian 4 0.12x
Warwickshire 4 0.06x
Worcestershire 3 0.09x
Dorset 2 0.12x
Leicestershire 2 0.07x
Ayrshire 1 0.05x
Brecknockshire 1 0.20x
Cumberland 1 0.05x
Denbighshire 1 0.11x
Derbyshire 1 0.03x
Fife 1 0.07x
Herefordshire 1 0.10x
Oxfordshire 1 0.06x
Royal Navy 1 0.34x
Shropshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shoreditch London in Middlesex leads with 84 Hookers recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.76x.

Place Total Index
Shoreditch London 84 7.76x
Lambeth 78 3.58x
Bethnal Green London 73 6.73x
St Pancras London 59 2.94x
Brighton 42 4.94x
Croydon 33 4.89x
Hove 31 16.78x
Islington London 31 1.28x
St George Hanover Square 31 7.05x
Dorking 29 35.50x
Hackney London 29 2.07x
Hemel Hempstead 28 36.10x
Paddington London 28 3.05x
Deptford St Paul 27 4.11x
St Marylebone London 27 2.03x
Lewisham 25 5.50x
East Grinstead 24 40.27x
Egerton 24 322.58x
Aldington 22 380.62x
Battersea 21 2.29x
Southwark St George Martyr 21 4.18x
St Luke London 20 4.99x
Bermondsey 19 2.56x
Everton 19 2.01x
Camberwell 17 1.07x
Milton In Gravesend 17 13.31x
Minster In Sheppey 17 12.04x
Pelsall 17 67.84x
Hambledon 16 92.65x
Tottenham 16 4.02x
Winchfield 16 511.18x
Sittingbourne 15 22.29x
Birchington 14 117.45x
Chelsea London 14 1.86x
Kensington London 14 1.01x
Luton 14 6.25x
Petworth 14 55.67x
Pulborough 14 90.56x
Skeyton 14 522.39x
Woodnesborough 14 179.49x
Epsom 13 21.92x
Leatherhead 13 42.66x
Maidstone 13 5.12x
Boughton Malherbe 12 315.79x
Bromley London 12 2.18x
Colby 12 582.52x
East Malling 12 58.94x
Godstone 12 55.05x
Headcorn 12 94.04x
Millbrook 12 9.31x
Northwood 12 16.46x
West Horsley 12 234.38x
Birkenhead 11 2.50x
Caddington 11 58.11x
Hamble Le Rice 11 308.99x
Ifield 11 62.64x
Northfleet 11 14.65x
Penge 11 6.90x
St Andrewthe Less 11 6.09x
Walthamstow 11 6.20x
Ashford 10 12.05x
Elswick 10 3.37x
Limehouse London 10 3.65x
Sevenoaks 10 14.48x
Southampton All Sts 10 11.39x
St Stephen In Brannel 10 38.77x
Westerham 10 50.89x
Brockenhurst 9 101.69x
Canterbury St Peter 9 93.65x
Chiddingfold 9 79.02x
Colchester St James 9 45.05x
Daventry 9 27.08x
Fulham London 9 2.49x
Manchester 9 0.68x
Rotherwick 9 229.59x
Southampton St Mary 9 2.80x
St Albans St Peter 9 15.50x
West Ham 9 0.83x
Fittleworth 8 134.45x
Harpenden 8 30.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 149
Elizabeth 94
Sarah 78
Jane 67
Ellen 51
Alice 46
Emily 46
Ann 42
Eliza 42
Annie 37
Emma 34
Edith 28
Caroline 26
Charlotte 24
Louisa 23
Fanny 21
Florence 20
Harriet 20
Hannah 19
Frances 18
Ada 17
Harriett 16
Esther 15
Clara 13
Jessie 13
Kate 13
Martha 13
Maria 12
Susan 12
Anne 11
Rose 9
Susannah 9
Catherine 8
Lucy 8
Minnie 8
Amelia 7
Lydia 7
Margaret 7
Matilda 7
Selina 7
Sophia 7
Agnes 6
Julia 6
A. 5
Eleanor 5
Henrietta 5
Laura 5
Rebecca 5
Amy 4
Bessie 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 151
John 114
George 103
James 82
Henry 77
Thomas 70
Charles 63
Edward 38
Alfred 36
Frederick 33
Joseph 28
Albert 24
Richard 24
Arthur 22
Harry 21
Robert 21
Walter 19
Ernest 15
Samuel 13
Stephen 12
David 11
Edmund 11
Frank 11
Francis 8
Benjamin 7
Thos. 7
Edwin 6
Gilbert 6
Herbert 6
Wm. 6
Fred 5
Fredrick 5
Horace 5
Percy 4
Sidney 4
Spencer 4
Tom 4
Abraham 3
Daniel 3
J. 3
Leonard 3
Mark 3
Matthew 3
Oliver 3
Peter 3
Stanley 3
Ayerst 2
Nathaniel 2
Philip 2
Reginald 2

FAQ

Hooker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hooker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,560 people were recorded with the Hooker surname. That placed it at #1,747 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hooker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,635 in 2016. That gives Hooker a modern rank of #2,532.

What does the Hooker surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold hooks, or lived near a hook-shaped river bend.

What does the Hooker map show?

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