NameCensus.

UK surname

Howker

In the 1881 census there were 131 people recorded with the Howker surname, ranking it #16,824 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #16,824 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Bradford and Keighley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Bury and Rossendale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Howker is 245 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.8%.

1881 census count

131

Ranked #16,824

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

1861

245 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Howker had 131 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,824 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 245 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Howker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Howker surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Howker 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 245 #10,057
1881 historical 131 #16,824
1891 historical 245 #12,950
1901 historical 234 #13,705
1911 historical 242 #13,193
1997 modern 155 #20,684
1998 modern 155 #21,227
1999 modern 153 #21,551
2000 modern 154 #21,415
2001 modern 147 #21,756
2002 modern 147 #22,197
2003 modern 141 #22,549
2004 modern 138 #22,997
2005 modern 132 #23,623
2006 modern 136 #23,378
2007 modern 134 #23,931
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 139 #24,161
2010 modern 129 #25,900
2011 modern 132 #25,303
2012 modern 133 #25,187
2013 modern 134 #25,525
2014 modern 136 #25,452
2015 modern 139 #24,956
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Howkers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, Bradford, Keighley, Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Bury, Rossendale and Elmbridge. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 019 Bradford
2 Bury 007 Bury
3 Bury 001 Bury
4 Rossendale 001 Rossendale
5 Elmbridge 010 Elmbridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Howker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Howker

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Howker, 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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Howker surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Howker household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Howker is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Howker 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

Howker 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 Howker is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Howker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Howker 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. Yorkshire leads with 74 Howkers recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.84x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 74 5.84x
Lancashire 52 3.43x
Staffordshire 3 0.70x
Cheshire 1 0.35x
Middlesex 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Haworth in Yorkshire leads with 38 Howkers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1262.46x.

Place Total Index
Haworth 38 1262.46x
Colne 16 353.98x
Idle 9 153.32x
Burnley 7 54.82x
Keighley 7 51.85x
Oldham 5 10.22x
Thornhill 5 135.50x
Tottington Lower End 5 69.35x
Clayton 4 129.03x
Habergham Eaves 4 28.86x
Bury 3 17.32x
Kingswinford 3 19.16x
Manningham 3 19.23x
Reedley Hallows 3 1034.48x
Whalley 3 135.75x
Beeston 2 156.25x
Droylsden 2 40.40x
Holbeck 2 23.84x
Hunslet 2 10.13x
Manchester 2 2.93x
Chadderton 1 13.50x
Cleckheaton 1 21.46x
Great Little Marsden 1 14.39x
Romiley 1 125.00x
Thornton In Bradford 1 23.70x
Westminster St John 1 6.43x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 19
Sarah 8
Alice 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Susannah 2
Susey 2
Alexandra 1
Amelia 1
Ameliah 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Delilah 1
Emelia 1
Emma 1
Harriet 1
Lavinia 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Marian 1
Miah 1
Sally 1
Selena 1
Sushanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 7
James 4
Joseph 4
Willie 4
Jonas 3
Arthur 2
Fred 2
Harry 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Ben 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Foster 1
Frank 1
Gilbert 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Hilton 1
Joab 1
Job 1
Leslie 1
Lot 1
Michael 1
Noah 1
Percy 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Sargeson 1
Smith 1
Thomas 1
Wright 1

FAQ

Howker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Howker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 131 people were recorded with the Howker surname. That placed it at #16,824 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Howker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Howker a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Howker map show?

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