2000
#16,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Hawke
A surname derived from the Old English word 'hafoc', meaning hawk or a person that hunted with hawks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,946 Americans carry the last name Hawke. That puts it at #16,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 176,133 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hawke 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 Hawke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 176,133
Census rank
#16,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,697 bearers of the surname Hawke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hawke
The surname Hawke originated in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'hafoc', meaning 'hawk', and likely referred to someone who was a falconer or keeper of hawks. The name was initially found in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.
The earliest known record of the name Hawke appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where it is written as 'Hauoc'. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also mention a 'Richard Hauk' in Lincolnshire. Over time, the name evolved to its modern spelling of 'Hawke'.
In the 14th century, the Hawke family held lands in Brasted, Kent, and the name is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for that county in 1337. Another early reference can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a 'John Hauk' is listed.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Hawke (c. 1520-1595), an English naval commander who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was knighted for his services in the English victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Another prominent figure was Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke (1705-1781), a British naval officer who played a crucial role in the Seven Years' War. He is best known for his victory over the French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759.
The name Hawke is also associated with the town of Hawkesbury in New South Wales, Australia, which was named after Baron Hawkesbury, the Lord President of the Committee of Trade and Foreign Plantations in the late 18th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hawke include Benjamin Hawke (1676-1738), an English politician and landowner, and Ethan Hawke (born 1970), an American actor, writer, and director.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hawke
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hawke 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 Hawke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 1,503
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 73
- Two or more races4.3% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 25
- Black or African American1.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hawke
Hawke 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
#17,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,637
+35 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 773 places
2020
#16,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,697
+60 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 849 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,517 | 1,602 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,290 | 1,637 | 0.55 | +35 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 773 places |
| 2020 | #16,441 | 1,697 | 0.57 | +60 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 849 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 Hawke 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 | #17,290 | #16,441 | 4.9% |
| Count | 1,637 | 1,697 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.57 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hawke bearers went from 1,637 to 1,697 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 849 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,290 to #16,441.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hawke
FAQ
Hawke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hawke?
Name Census estimates that about 1,946 living Americans carry the surname Hawke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 176,133 residents.
How common is Hawke?
Hawke ranks #16,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,697 people with the surname Hawke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,946), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Hawke.
Has Hawke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hawke went from 1,637 recorded bearers to 1,697. That is an increase of 60 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,290 to #16,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Hawke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hawke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (1,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hawke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hawke (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 Hawke mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word 'hafoc', meaning hawk or a person that hunted with hawks. 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 Hawke (0.57 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 surname Hawke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.