Hookers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hookers finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a person who made hooks or an agricultural worker who used hooks. The name Hookers was also applied to someone who lived near a bend or hill-spur. The surname Hookers is derived from the Old English word hoc, which means hook. 1

"The original name of the family was Vowell, but in the fifteenth century members of it called themselves Vowell alias Hooker or Hoker, and in the sixteenth century the original name was generally dropped." 2

One other source confirms this name change, but it should be noted that only one branch did so. "The original name was Vowell or Fowell, and the family had been seated at Fowelscombe t. Henry IV. or earlier; and a younger son marrying an heiress assumed the name of Hooker." 3

Early Origins of the Hookers family

The surname Hookers was first found in the source Liber Elienis where Osmundus cognomento Hocere was recorded c. 975. From this earliest entry in Latin and in Saxon times, we move to Norfolk where William, Osbert Hoker(e) was found in the Pipe Rolls of 1199, and later in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1219. John le Hoker, le Houker was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and 1332. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed Robert le Hoker, Kent; and Hugh Hoker, Norfolk. 5

Early History of the Hookers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hookers research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1490, 1493, 1526, 1529, 1537, 1553, 1554, 1558, 1586, 1600, 1601 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Hookers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hookers Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hookers has been recorded under many different variations, including Hooker, Hookers and others.

Early Notables of the Hookers family

Notables of the family at this time include John Hooker alias Vowell (1526?-1601), English antiquary and Chamberlain of Exeter, born there in or about 1526, being the second son of Robert Hooker, who was Mayor of Exeter in 1529. 2 Richard Hooker (1554?-1600) was a noted English theologian who wrote "The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity." he was born at Heavitree, Exeter, probably in March 1553-4. The original name of the family was Vowell, but in the fifteenth century members of it called themselves Vowell alias Hooker or Hoker, and in the sixteenth century...
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hookers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hookers family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hookers or a variant listed above: John Hooker and his son settled in Barbados in 1678; Joanna, John, Mary, Robert, Samuel, Sarah, Susannah, and Thomas Hooker settled in Cambridge Massachusetts in 1633.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)