2000
#11,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Hakes
Derived from a Middle English word for a hook or handle, likely referring to a maker of such items.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,891 Americans carry the last name Hakes. That puts it at #11,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hakes 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 Hakes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,559
Census rank
#11,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,521 bearers of the surname Hakes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hakes
The surname Hakes has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hæcc," meaning a gate or hatch, and may have originally referred to someone who lived near a gate or hatch. Alternatively, the name could have evolved from the Old English word "haca," meaning a hook or crooked bend, potentially describing someone with a physical characteristic or occupation.
The earliest known record of the surname Hakes appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where it is listed as "Hake." This suggests that the name was already established in the northern counties of England by the late 12th century. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Hakes, Haikes, and Haykes.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named Haco is mentioned in the county of Suffolk, which could be an early form of the surname Hakes. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176 record a person named Hake de Haucurt.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Hakes was Sir John Hakes (c. 1390-1460), a prominent English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 15th century.
Another historical figure was Sir Edward Hakes (1552-1625), an English courtier and military commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. He is particularly remembered for his role in the Battle of Nieuport in 1600, where he commanded the English forces.
In the 17th century, Richard Hakes (1604-1679) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was also a renowned Hebrew scholar and author of several works on theology.
Moving forward, John Hakes (1716-1783) was a British merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education in his hometown of Leyton, Essex.
Finally, William Hakes Jr. (1805-1891) was an American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the original Williamsburg Savings Bank Building and the Reformed Dutch Church of Brooklyn.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have borne the surname Hakes over the centuries, reflecting its deep-rooted history in England and its subsequent spread to other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hakes
Among Census respondents with the surname Hakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hakes 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 Hakes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,294
- Two or more races3.8% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hakes
Hakes 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
#12,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
+51 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 690 places
2020
#11,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,521
+41 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,810 | 2,429 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,500 | 2,480 | 0.84 | +51 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 690 places |
| 2020 | #11,875 | 2,521 | 0.84 | +41 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 625 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 Hakes 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 | #12,500 | #11,875 | 5.0% |
| Count | 2,480 | 2,521 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.84 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hakes bearers went from 2,480 to 2,521 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 625 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,500 to #11,875.
FAQ
Hakes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hakes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,891 living Americans carry the surname Hakes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,559 residents.
How common is Hakes?
Hakes ranks #11,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,521 people with the surname Hakes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,891), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hakes.
Has Hakes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hakes went from 2,480 recorded bearers to 2,521. That is an increase of 41 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,500 to #11,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Hakes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Hakes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hakes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Hakes (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 Hakes mean?
Derived from a Middle English word for a hook or handle, likely referring to a maker of such items. 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 Hakes (0.84 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 many Americans have the surname Hakes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.