Hovey
Of English origin, a diminutive of the surname Hovey meaning "heaver".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hovey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hovey today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hovey births was 1917 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hovey. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hovey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1917
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1917 SSA rank
#4,252
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Hovey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hovey 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 Hovey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hovey
The given name Hovey has its roots in the Old English language, originating from the word "hof," which means "dwelling" or "enclosure." It is believed to have emerged as a name during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 11th centuries, when Old English was the dominant language in parts of what is now England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hovey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. In this historical document, the name appears as "Hovius," which is likely an early variant spelling.
During the Middle Ages, the name Hovey was primarily associated with individuals of Anglo-Saxon descent, as it reflected the cultural and linguistic heritage of that period. However, as time passed, the name spread beyond its initial geographical boundaries and gained popularity in other regions.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Hovey was Richard Hovey, an American poet and playwright born in 1864. He is best known for his poetry collection "Songs from Vagabondia" and the play "Taliesin: A Masque," which drew inspiration from Welsh mythology.
Another individual of note was Alvah Hovey, an American Baptist minister and theologian who lived from 1820 to 1903. He served as the president of Newton Theological Institution (now Andover Newton Theological School) and authored several influential works on Christian theology.
In the realm of politics, Alvin Peterson Hovey, born in 1821, was a prominent American lawyer and politician. He served as the 21st Governor of Indiana from 1889 to 1891 and played a significant role in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Charles Edward Hovey, born in 1827, was a renowned American horticulturist and pomologist. He is credited with developing several new varieties of fruits, including the Hovey Strawberry and the Hovey Cherry, which bear his name in recognition of his contributions to the field.
Another individual worthy of mention is George Rice Hovey, an American architect born in 1860. He was known for his work on various public buildings and churches, particularly in the New England region, where he left a lasting architectural legacy.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the given name Hovey, each making their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical narratives associated with this ancient name.
People
Hovey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hovey 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
Hovey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hovey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hovey 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 - US residents.
Is Hovey a common name?
We classify Hovey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hovey most popular?
The single biggest year for Hovey was 1917, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hovey is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hovey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hovey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hovey 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.
Is Hovey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hovey in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hovey can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Hovey?
You can see how many Americans are named Hovey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.