2000
#3,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,291
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.44
Uncommon Last name
Hackney
A toponymic surname derived from any of the places in England named Hackney, likely referring to a wet or marsh island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,208 Americans carry the last name Hackney. That puts it at #3,876 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hackney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hackney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,577
Census rank
#3,876
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,902 bearers of the surname Hackney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3876th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hackney, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hackney
The surname Hackney has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the place name Hackney, which was originally a village located in the county of Middlesex, now part of Greater London. The name Hackney is believed to come from the Old English words "haca" meaning a hook or bend, and "ey" meaning an island or dry ground surrounded by marsh.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the area was recorded as "Hacqnevilla" and "Hacheneie," reflecting the early spellings of the name. The name likely referred to the hooked or curved shape of the land or a stream in the area. As a surname, Hackney first appeared in the 13th century, when it was used to identify individuals from the village of Hackney.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hackney surname was in 1273, when William de Hackney was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire. In the 14th century, John de Hakeneye, a monk from the Hackney area, was documented in the records of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
During the Tudor period, a notable figure with the Hackney surname was William Hackney (c. 1480 - c. 1550), who served as the Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1535. Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Hackney (1572 - 1658), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Amersham in 1628.
In the 17th century, Edward Hackney (1630 - 1680) was a prominent merchant and benefactor in London, known for his contributions to the construction of Christ's Hospital school. In the 18th century, John Hackney (1704 - 1768) was a notable English botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties.
During the Victorian era, Sir John Wogan Hackett Piers Hackney (1832 - 1892) was a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1886 to 1892. He played a crucial role in the development of the British West Indies.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the Hackney surname throughout history, reflecting its English origins and the diverse fields in which those with this name have made their mark.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hackney
Among Census respondents with the surname Hackney, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hackney bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hackney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 7,000
- Black or African American14.0% · 1,243
- Two or more races3.7% · 325
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hackney
Hackney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,507
+216 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 211 places
2020
#3,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,902
-605 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.98
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,516 | 9,291 | 3.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,727 | 9,507 | 3.22 | +216 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 211 places |
| 2020 | #3,876 | 8,902 | 2.98 | -605 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 149 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hackney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,727 | #3,876 | -4.0% |
| Count | 9,507 | 8,902 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.22 | 2.98 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hackney bearers went from 9,507 to 8,902 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,727 to #3,876.
FAQ
Hackney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hackney?
Name Census estimates that about 10,208 living Americans carry the surname Hackney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,577 residents.
How common is Hackney?
Hackney ranks #3,876 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,902 people with the surname Hackney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,208), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hackney.
Has Hackney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hackney went from 9,507 recorded bearers to 8,902. That is a decrease of 605 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,727 to #3,876.
What does the Census say about the background of Hackney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hackney, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hackney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (7,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hackney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hackney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hackney mean?
A toponymic surname derived from any of the places in England named Hackney, likely referring to a wet or marsh island. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hackney (2.98 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Hackney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Hackney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.