2000
#2,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.02
Uncommon Last name
Hawk
An English surname referring to a person who hunted with hawks or had hawk-like characteristics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,438 Americans carry the last name Hawk. That puts it at #2,077 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hawk 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 Hawk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,633
Census rank
#2,077
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,951 bearers of the surname Hawk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2077th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawk, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hawk
The surname "Hawk" originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hafoc," which means "hawk" or "falcon." The name was initially given as a nickname to someone who had a keen eye or was particularly skilled in hunting with hawks.
The earliest recorded mention of the Hawk surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, which refer to a person named William Havoc. The name also appears in other historical records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1207, which mentions a Robert Hauek.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Hawk surname was Robert le Hauk, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262. The Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 also list a Nicholas le Hauk.
The name Hawk has been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Hawkridge in Buckinghamshire and Hawksworth in Yorkshire. These places may have contributed to the development of the surname or been named after early bearers of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Hawk include:
1. Sir Robert Hawk (c. 1570-1639), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Seaford in 1628.
2. John Hawk (1711-1781), an English engraver and publisher known for his work on maps and atlases.
3. Francis Lister Hawks (1798-1866), an American Episcopal bishop and author who served as the Rector of St. Thomas' Church in New York City.
4. Robert Hawk (1865-1938), an American baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the late 19th century.
5. Philip Hawk (1900-1971), an American stage and film actor who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood movies in the 1930s and 1940s.
The surname Hawk has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, engravers, clergymen, athletes, and actors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hawk
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawk, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hawk 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 Hawk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 13,887
- Black or African American7.1% · 1,201
- Two or more races4.6% · 783
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 482
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 476
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 122
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hawk
Hawk 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
#2,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,884
+644 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.72
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#2,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,951
+67 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 5.67
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,045 | 16,240 | 6.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,149 | 16,884 | 5.72 | +644 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #2,077 | 16,951 | 5.67 | +67 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 72 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 Hawk 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 | #2,149 | #2,077 | 3.4% |
| Count | 16,884 | 16,951 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.72 | 5.67 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hawk bearers went from 16,884 to 16,951 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,149 to #2,077.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hawk
FAQ
Hawk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hawk?
Name Census estimates that about 19,438 living Americans carry the surname Hawk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,633 residents.
How common is Hawk?
Hawk ranks #2,077 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,951 people with the surname Hawk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hawk.
Has Hawk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hawk went from 16,884 recorded bearers to 16,951. That is an increase of 67 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,149 to #2,077.
What does the Census say about the background of Hawk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawk, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hawk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (13,887 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hawk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hawk (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 Hawk mean?
An English surname referring to a person who hunted with hawks or had hawk-like characteristics. 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 Hawk (5.67 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 people have the last name Hawk?
You can see how many people have the surname Hawk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.