Find out how popular the last name Hankey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hankey.

Hankey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hankey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hankey in America

Hankey is the 18507th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hankey surname appeared 1,492 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hankey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hankey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hankey

The surname Hankey originates from England, with its roots dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the village of Handkey, located near Billericay in Essex. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "hana" meaning "cock" or "rooster" and "eg" meaning "island" or "piece of higher ground," potentially indicating that the area was once an elevated region frequented by roosters.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where a William de Hanekeye is listed. This document, which recorded land transactions, provides evidence of the surname's presence in the region during that period.

In the 14th century, the Hankey surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a John Hankey was listed. Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381, a Thomas Hankey was documented.

Notable individuals bearing the Hankey surname throughout history include Sir Henry Hankey (1677-1728), a British politician who served as Secretary at War from 1714 to 1718. Another prominent figure was Maurice Hankey (1877-1963), a British civil servant who played a crucial role in the development of the Cabinet Office and served as the first Cabinet Secretary from 1916 to 1938.

In the 18th century, the Hankey family established themselves as prominent bankers in London. Joseph Hankey (1714-1786) co-founded the banking firm of Hankey and Alers, which later merged with the Veres to form the notable Hankey, Alers & Veres banking house.

Other notable Hankeys include Sir Michael Hankey (1832-1897), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Guiana from 1881 to 1884, and Sir Maurice Hankey (1894-1964), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party.

Throughout its history, the Hankey surname has been associated with various locations in England, such as Hankey Park in Worcestershire and Hankey's Farm in East Sussex, further reflecting its longstanding roots in the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hankey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hankey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hankey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hankey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hankey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hankey, please contact us.

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