Hawk
A Germanic name meaning "hunter" or "predator of the sky."
Name Census estimates that about 960 living Americans carry the first name Hawk. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hawk today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hawk births was 2017 (87 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hawk. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
960
~ 1 in 357,036 Americans
Peak year
2017
87 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,343
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Hawk: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hawk from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 489 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hawk remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hawk by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hawk during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hawks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Hawk, while Washington, Oklahoma, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hawk
The name Hawk has its origins in Old English, where it was derived from the word "hafoc," which referred to the bird of prey. This name likely emerged during the early medieval period in England and other parts of the British Isles, where it was initially used as a descriptive surname for those who exhibited characteristics associated with the hawk, such as keen eyesight, agility, or predatory instincts.
In ancient times, hawks were revered in various cultures for their hunting prowess and symbolic connections to the gods. In Egyptian mythology, the hawk was associated with the sun god Ra, and the falcon-headed deity Horus. Similarly, in Native American traditions, the hawk was often seen as a symbol of strength, vision, and spiritual guidance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hawk dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Anglo-Saxon population prior to the Norman conquest.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hawk. One of the earliest was Hawk of Beckham, a 13th-century English landowner and knight who fought in the Second Barons' War against King Henry III. In the 16th century, Hawk Hickman (1537-1616) was an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Moving forward in time, Hawk Taylor (1865-1952) was a renowned American artist known for his landscape paintings of the American West. In the 20th century, Hawk Hosking (1913-1990) was a celebrated Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and was later inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Another notable figure was Hawk Koch (born 1945), an American film producer and former president of the Producers Guild of America, who has been involved in the production of several critically acclaimed films such as Source Code and Heaven Can Wait.
These examples illustrate the enduring appeal and historical significance of the name Hawk, which has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, spanning centuries and cultures. While its roots can be traced back to Old English and the symbolic representation of the bird of prey, the name has transcended its original meaning and become a distinctive and powerful moniker in its own right.
People
Hawk + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hawk as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hawk: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hawk?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 960 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hawk going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 357,036 US residents.
Is Hawk a common name?
We classify Hawk as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 970 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hawk most popular?
The single biggest year for Hawk was 2017, when 87 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hawk is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hawk a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hawk in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.