a HackerNoon project
Original · left

Hacker (MIT tinkerer)

First in use: the 1950s
Duplicate · right

Security hacker

First in use: the 1980s

Hacker / Hacker (MIT tinkerer) / Security hacker

Loading data…
Canonical todayMeasuring…
Status—
Duplicate share · 12 mo—
Last crossover—
Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

MIT's Tech Model Railroad Club vs. WarGames. HackerNoon picks the left side.

Which meaning of Hacker is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Hacker (MIT tinkerer) came first (the 1950s). Security hacker arrived in the 1980s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Hacker (MIT tinkerer)Security hacker
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1950s

Hacker (MIT tinkerer)

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—
Duplicate · the 1980s

Security hacker

Loading the Wikipedia definition…

12-mo pageviews—
Year over year—
Peak month—

More duplicated terms

Cybersecurity