NameCensus.

UK surname

Neck

Potentially an occupational surname referring to someone who worked in the neck area such as a neck guard or collar maker.

In the 1881 census there were 146 people recorded with the Neck surname, ranking it #15,752 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 105, ranked #30,114, down from #15,752 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Moretonhampstead and Kingskerswell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, Badenoch and Strathspey South and Croydon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Neck is 238 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 28.1%.

1881 census count

146

Ranked #15,752

Modern count

105

2016, ranked #30,114

Peak year

1911

238 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Neck had 146 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,752 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016, ranked #30,114.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 238 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Neck surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Neck surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Neck 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 142 #13,428
1861 historical 180 #13,057
1881 historical 146 #15,752
1891 historical 204 #14,702
1901 historical 174 #16,520
1911 historical 238 #13,356
1997 modern 116 #24,688
1998 modern 125 #24,198
1999 modern 121 #24,855
2000 modern 116 #25,452
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 115 #25,749
2003 modern 112 #25,948
2004 modern 112 #26,159
2005 modern 105 #27,203
2006 modern 104 #27,646
2007 modern 110 #27,087
2008 modern 107 #27,844
2009 modern 115 #27,207
2010 modern 110 #28,666
2011 modern 105 #29,287
2012 modern 103 #29,733
2013 modern 101 #30,591
2014 modern 97 #31,518
2015 modern 101 #30,816
2016 modern 105 #30,114

Geography

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Where Necks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Moretonhampstead, Kingskerswell, London parishes and St John Hackney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, Badenoch and Strathspey South, Croydon, County Durham and Lambeth. 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 Moretonhampstead Devon
3 Kingskerswell Devon
4 London parishes London 3
5 St John Hackney London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 022 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 Badenoch and Strathspey South Highland
3 Croydon 030 Croydon
4 County Durham 032 County Durham
5 Lambeth 007 Lambeth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Neck

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Neck

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Neck surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Neck household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Neck 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

Neck 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

Neck falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Neck

The surname Neck is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Nacken," which means "nape" or "back of the neck." The name likely referred to a physical characteristic or occupation related to the neck or nape area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neck can be found in the town records of Heidelberg, Germany, from the 14th century. The name appears as "Neckher" in these records, which may have been an earlier spelling variation.

In the 15th century, there are references to individuals with the surname Neck in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of the country by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Neck surname gained prominence in certain areas of Germany. Notable individuals with this surname include Hans Neck (1550-1624), a renowned goldsmith and engraver from Augsburg, and Johann Neck (1634-1712), a Protestant theologian and writer from Saxony.

As Germans began emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Neck surname spread to other regions. One notable example is Johann Michael Neck (1720-1790), a German-born Jesuit missionary who traveled to South America and worked among indigenous communities in present-day Bolivia and Argentina.

In the 19th century, the Neck surname can be found in various parts of Europe and North America. One notable figure was Johann Neck (1805-1877), a German-born painter and lithographer who settled in the United States and became known for his portraiture and landscape works.

Another individual with the Neck surname was Wilhelm Neck (1834-1920), a German-born architect and educator who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the original campus of the University of Chicago.

While the Neck surname is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, missionaries, and architects, across several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Neck families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Neck 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 49 Necks recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.42x.

County Total Index
Devon 49 16.42x
Middlesex 25 1.74x
Surrey 24 3.44x
Gloucestershire 17 6.05x
Kent 8 1.64x
Hampshire 6 2.04x
Durham 5 1.17x
Lancashire 3 0.18x
Monmouthshire 3 2.89x
Staffordshire 3 0.62x
Derbyshire 1 0.45x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.60x
Glamorgan 1 0.40x
Royal Navy 1 5.85x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Moreton Hampstead in Devon leads with 22 Necks recorded in 1881 and an index of 2857.14x.

Place Total Index
Moreton Hampstead 22 2857.14x
Rotherhithe 14 79.01x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 12 45.32x
Camberwell 9 9.83x
Exeter St Sidwell 7 102.34x
Northfleet 7 162.41x
St George Bloomsbury 6 72.90x
Tottenham 6 26.27x
Bristol St Nicholas 5 980.39x
Stranton 5 34.82x
Tormoham 5 39.59x
Ideford 4 2857.14x
Twickenham 4 65.04x
Whippingham 4 179.37x
Barrow In Furness 3 12.96x
Newport 3 60.73x
Paddington London 3 5.69x
Plymouth Charles The 3 22.81x
Tipton 3 20.24x
Exeter Heavitree 2 89.69x
Portsea 2 3.47x
St Marylebone London 2 2.61x
Totnes 2 114.29x
Bermondsey 1 2.34x
Clist St Mary 1 1111.11x
Dartmouth St Saviour 1 117.65x
Exeter Alphington 1 181.82x
Gravesend 1 24.15x
Kingsteignton 1 120.48x
Norton 1 54.05x
Row 1 20.08x
Royal Navy 1 6.84x
St Clement Danes 1 43.10x
St Dionis Backchurch 1 1000.00x
St George Hanover 1 5.34x
Swansea Town 1 4.89x
Westminster St James 1 6.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 5
Annie 4
Maria 4
Florence 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Bessie 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Allen 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Astria 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Christian 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Fannie 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
Lzza 1
Mabel 1
Mable 1
Margaret 1
Marie 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
Millicant 1
Rhoda 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Neck surname: questions and answers

How common was the Neck surname in 1881?

In 1881, 146 people were recorded with the Neck surname. That placed it at #15,752 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Neck surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016. That gives Neck a modern rank of #30,114.

What does the Neck surname mean?

Potentially an occupational surname referring to someone who worked in the neck area such as a neck guard or collar maker.

What does the Neck map show?

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