NameCensus.

UK surname

Huke

An English variant of the German surname Hucke, derived from a topographic name for someone who lived on a ridge or knoll.

In the 1881 census there were 118 people recorded with the Huke surname, ranking it #17,935 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 132, ranked #25,882, down from #17,935 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cove, North, London parishes and Stepney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waveney, Redbridge and Great Yarmouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Huke is 203 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.9%.

1881 census count

118

Ranked #17,935

Modern count

132

2016, ranked #25,882

Peak year

1998

203 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Huke had 118 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,935 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016, ranked #25,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 191 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Huke surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Huke surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Huke 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 168 #13,895
1881 historical 118 #17,935
1891 historical 170 #16,816
1901 historical 135 #19,203
1911 historical 191 #15,392
1997 modern 193 #18,035
1998 modern 203 #17,949
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 189 #18,860
2001 modern 192 #18,388
2002 modern 181 #19,463
2003 modern 168 #20,171
2004 modern 177 #19,662
2005 modern 157 #21,128
2006 modern 157 #21,322
2007 modern 152 #22,022
2008 modern 149 #22,530
2009 modern 148 #23,141
2010 modern 146 #23,921
2011 modern 144 #23,962
2012 modern 142 #24,148
2013 modern 140 #24,779
2014 modern 134 #25,711
2015 modern 133 #25,729
2016 modern 132 #25,882

Geography

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Where Hukes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cove, North, London parishes, Stepney, St Dunstan Stepney and Burgh St Peter. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Waveney, Redbridge, Great Yarmouth, Epsom and Ewell and Castle Point. 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 Cove, North Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Stepney London (East Districts)
4 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
5 Burgh St Peter Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waveney 006 Waveney
2 Redbridge 005 Redbridge
3 Great Yarmouth 002 Great Yarmouth
4 Epsom and Ewell 001 Epsom and Ewell
5 Castle Point 009 Castle Point

Forenames

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First names often paired with Huke

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Huke

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Huke surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Huke household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Huke 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

Huke is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Huke falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Huke

The surname HUKE originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "huc," which means a hook or a bend in a river or stream. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hooked or curved body of water.

The earliest known record of the HUKE surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, where a family with this name resided in the village of Huke, located near the bend of the River Ure. This village name is thought to have given rise to the HUKE surname.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and tenants in England, there is an entry for a William de Huke, who held land in the village of the same name. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the HUKE surname.

During the 14th century, the surname appeared in various medieval records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, where a John Huke was mentioned in 1317. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 also recorded a Thomas Huke in the town of Huddersfield.

In the 16th century, the HUKE surname was found in various parts of Yorkshire, as well as in neighboring counties like Lancashire and Derbyshire. One notable individual from this period was Richard Huke (c. 1530-1599), a prominent merchant and alderman of the city of York.

The 17th century saw the HUKE surname spread further across England, with records indicating families bearing this name in counties like Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. A notable example is Sir Thomas Huke (1605-1676), a member of Parliament for the borough of Grimsby.

In the 18th century, the surname HUKE was also found in Scotland, where a family with this name settled in the region of Ayrshire. One notable figure was Robert Huke (1727-1803), a Scottish merchant and landowner who owned estates in the town of Stevenston.

Other notable individuals with the HUKE surname throughout history include William Huke (1781-1858), an English clergyman and author from Yorkshire, and John Huke (1846-1923), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Lancashire who founded the Huke Engineering Company.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Huke families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Huke 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. Suffolk leads with 35 Hukes recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.76x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 35 24.76x
Middlesex 25 2.15x
Norfolk 25 14.01x
Surrey 14 2.48x
Kent 13 3.28x
Cheshire 2 0.78x
Berkshire 1 1.15x
Durham 1 0.29x
Glamorgan 1 0.49x
Hampshire 1 0.42x
Hertfordshire 1 1.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 18 Hukes recorded in 1881 and an index of 121.79x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 18 121.79x
Lowestoft 13 194.61x
Mile End New Town London 13 567.69x
Mile End Old Town London 12 48.58x
Camberwell 9 12.14x
Lee 8 139.13x
North Cove 7 7777.78x
Barnby 6 6000.00x
Newmarket St Mary 6 550.46x
Deptford St Paul 5 16.37x
Bermondsey 4 11.58x
Thorpe Next Norwich 3 158.73x
Chester St John Baptist 2 43.38x
Necton 2 625.00x
Bisham 1 357.14x
Bishopwearmouth 1 3.37x
Godstone 1 99.01x
Great Saxham 1 1000.00x
Hemel Hempstead 1 27.78x
Holbrook 1 322.58x
Llandaff 1 14.88x
Northwood 1 29.50x
Shotley 1 400.00x
Upwell 1 120.48x
Wheatacre All Sts 1 1666.67x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 5
John 5
Robert 5
William 5
Arthur 4
George 4
Thomas 4
Alfred 3
Ernest 3
James 3
Herbert 2
Albert 1
Chas. 1
Edward 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Joseph 1
Josh 1
Philip 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Huke surname: questions and answers

How common was the Huke surname in 1881?

In 1881, 118 people were recorded with the Huke surname. That placed it at #17,935 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Huke surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016. That gives Huke a modern rank of #25,882.

What does the Huke surname mean?

An English variant of the German surname Hucke, derived from a topographic name for someone who lived on a ridge or knoll.

What does the Huke map show?

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