Show ContentsHawker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hawker

What does the name Hawker mean?

The name Hawker comes from one of the family having worked as a hawker, or someone who held land in exchange for providing hawks to a lord. The surname Hawker is derived from the Old English word hafocere, which means falconer or hawker. 1

Early Origins of the Hawker family

The surname Hawker was first found in Gloucestershire where Robert le Haukere was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1214. Mabill Haueker was found in Suffolk in 1221 and Robert le Hauker was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1283. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list some of the early variations of the name: John le Haueker in Wiltshire; and Hugh le Haukere in Cambridgeshire. 3

Early History of the Hawker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawker research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1721 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Hawker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawker Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hawker have been found, including: Hawker, Hawkar, Hawkir and others.

Early Notables of the Hawker family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Thomas Hawker (d. 1723), was an English "portrait-painter, according to Vertue, came to live in Sir Peter Lely's house after Lely's death, in the hope of benefiting by the famous associations of the h...
  • One Hawker (called by Vertue, perhaps in error, Edward Hawker) is stated to have been admitted a poor knight of Windsor, and to have been living in 1721, over eighty years of age...

Hawker Ranking

In the United States, the name Hawker is the 12,413rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4


Hawker migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Hawker, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Hawker Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Hawker, who arrived in the Leeward Islands in 1654
  • Edward Hawker, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 5
  • Patience Hawker, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 5
  • Thomas Hawker, who landed in Maryland in 1659 5
Hawker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Hawker, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 5
  • Adam Hawker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1762 5
  • Killian Hawker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 5

Hawker migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hawker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Hawker, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. James Hawker who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1836 aboard the ship 7
  • Louisa Hawker, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Cygnet" in 1836 8
  • James Collins Hawker, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 9
  • William Hawker, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Brightman" in 1840 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hawker migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hawker Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Richard Hawker, (b. 1860), aged 5 months, English settler, from Somerset travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 11
  • Mr. James Hawker, (b. 1825), aged 36, English carpenter, from Somerset travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 11
  • Mrs. Anna Hawker, (b. 1829), aged 32, English settler, from Somerset travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 11
  • Miss Mary Ann Hawker, (b. 1848), aged 13, English settler, from Somerset travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 11
  • Mr. Charles Hawker, (b. 1853), aged 8, English settler, from Somerset travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hawker migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12
Hawker Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Timothy Hawker, who arrived in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Hawker (post 1700) +

  • Linda Hawker, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996 13
  • Keno L. Hawker, American politician, Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, 2000-08 13
  • John Hawker, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Plymouth, 1792-95 13
  • Herman Hawker, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1956 13
  • Colonel Peter Hawker (1786-1853), English celebrated diarist, author and sportsman
  • Thomas Hawker (b. 1722), English portrait painter
  • Philip Nigel "Phil" Hawker (b. 1962), English former football defender
  • Lizzy Hawker (b. 1976), British gold and bronze medalist long-distance runner
  • Lesley Hawker (b. 1981), Canadian two-time bronze medalist figure skater
  • David Peter Maxwell Hawker AO (b. 1949), Australian politician, 25th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. George Clarence Hawker (1918-1941), Australian Steward from Cottesloe, Western Australia, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 14


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  8. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Cygnet arrived Holdfast Bay, Adealide Sept. 11, 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Cygnet.htm
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PESTONJEE BOMANJEE 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838PestonjeeBomanjee.htm
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRIGHTMAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Brightman.htm
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  14. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp


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