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Hooker History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hooker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hooker is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was taken on by someone who worked as a person who made hooks or an agricultural worker who used hooks. The name Hooker was also applied to someone who lived near a bend or hill-spur. The surname Hooker 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 Hooker family

The surname Hooker 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 Hooker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hooker 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 Hooker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hooker Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Hooker include Hooker, Hookers and others.

Early Notables of the Hooker 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 wa...
Rev. Thomas Hooker (1586-1647), was a prominent Puritan colonial leader who founded the Colony of Connecticut, considered to be "the Father of Connecticut." He was likely born at either Marefield or B...

Hooker Ranking

In the United States, the name Hooker is the 1,670^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 6 However, in New Zealand, the name Hooker is ranked the 932^nd most popular surname with an estimated 800 people with that name. 7

Hooker migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Hooker Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Hooker, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Thomas Hooker, (1586-1647), prominent English colonial leader, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1633 aboard the ship "Griffin", he founded the Connecticut colony. 8
Mrs. Susannah Hooker, (nee Garbrand), who arrived in Boston aboard the ship "Griffin" in 1633, with husband Rev. Thomas 9
John Hooker, who arrived in Boston aboard the ship "Griffin" in 1633, with father Rev. Thomas 9
Joanna Hooker, who arrived in Boston aboard the ship "Griffin" in 1633, with father Rev. Thomas 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hooker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Wilhelm Hooker, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 8
Thomas Hooker, who settled in Maryland in 1774
Henry Hooker, who arrived in New York in 1785 8

Hooker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Hooker, who arrived in Mississippi in 1836 8

Hooker migration to Australia +

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

Hooker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Sarah Hooker who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 10
Mr. George Hooker who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
James Hooker, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 12
Rosa Hooker, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 12
Oliver Hooker, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Waterloo" in 1840 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hooker 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:

Hooker Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C Hooker, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Mrs Hooker, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1841
Mr. John Hooker, (b. 1805), aged 35, Cornish blacksmith born in St. Just travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 14
Mrs. Jane Hooker, (b. 1802), aged 38, Cornish settler born in St. Just travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 14
Mr. Nathaniel Hooker, (b. 1830), aged 11, Cornish settler born in St. Just travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hooker 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. 15

Hooker Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Hooker and his son settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Hooker (post 1700) +

William Hooker (b. 1946), American jazz drummer and composer
John Lee Hooker (1917-2001), American Grammy Award winning blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist
Joseph Hooker (1817-1879), American Civil War Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War
John Jay Hooker Jr. (1930-2016), American attorney, entrepreneur, political gadfly and Democratic nominee for Governor of Tennessee in 1970 and 1998
Edward Williams Hooker (1865-1915), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartford, 1907-08; Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, 1908-10
Edward Hooker, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Farmington, 1835, 1837-38
DeWitt Hooker, American politician, Representative from New York 27th District, 1892
David G. Hooker (1830-1888), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1873
Cortez Perry Hooker (1814-1886), American politician, Member of Michigan State Senate 30th District, 1855
Charles Edward Hooker (1825-1914), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Mississippi State House of Representatives, 1859; Mississippi State Attorney General, 1865
... (Another 38 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hooker family +

HMS Dorsetshire

George Frederick Crawford Hooker (d. 1945), British Lieutenant Engineer aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 16

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ROYAL ADMIRAL 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838RoyalAdmiral.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WATERLOO 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Waterloo.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html