Hucker - Name

This unusual name is medieval and relates to the travelling fairs and markets of the period. It derives from "Hucke", a middle English word meaning "to bargain" and was given to a stall holder or travelling merchant. The alternative spelling of Huckster is probably the female form in the same way that Baxter is a female Baker. The name does seem to be particularly associated with Somerset, as an example in 1685, Walter Hucker of Taunton was sentenced by Judge Jeffrey's to be transported to the West Indies for taking part in the Monmouth Rebellion. His subsequent fate is not known. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Le Huckker. which was dated 1307, in the County Pipe Rolls of Somerset. during the reign of King Edward 1, known as the Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.