Tucker

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Tucker

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Tucker comes from an English occupational surname and referred to the cloth industry that was a large part of medieval England’s economy. A “tucker” was one who attached cloth bits or thickened cloth (the same job as the “Walker” and the “Fuller”). It comes from the Old English word “tucian” meaning “to torment.”

History:
Tucker is another English surname that has been transferred for use as a first name.

Originally, it would have been bestowed upon sons as either a first or a middle name in order to honor the Tucker surname. For example, a woman named Mary Tucker who married a man named John Smith, may name her son John Tucker Smith, or merely Tucker Smith. Or a man wishing to honor General Tom Tucker may name his son Tom Tucker Johnson, or Tucker Johnson.

The name Tucker became rather more common in the late 20th, early 21st centuries, a time when English occupational surnames, especially those ending in the “urr” sound, were trendy for boys (such as Porter, Tyler, Hunter, Tanner, etc.).

Pronunciation: tuck-urr.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.070 % surnamed Tucker
less than 0.004 % named Tucker

Popularity of Tucker:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1977: N/A
1978: 966th most popular.
1979: 993rd most popular.
1980: 882nd most popular.
1981: 973rd most popular.
1982: 916th most popular.
1983: 783rd most popular.
1984: 711th most popular.
1985: 745th most popular.
1986: 859th most popular.
1987: 774th most popular.
1988: 623rd most popular.
1989: 497th most popular.
1990: 494th most popular.
1991: 461st most popular.
1992: 461st most popular.
1993: 397th most popular.
1994: 366th most popular.
1995: 359th most popular.
1996: 339th most popular.
1997: 306th most popular.
1998: 300th most popular.
1999: 299th most popular.
2000: 290th most popular.
2001: 289th most popular.
2002: 299th most popular.
2003: 297th most popular.
2004: 286th most popular.

Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of English Surnames, Reaney and Wilson, 1990
American Surnames, Smith, 1994

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)