2000
#13,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Hawker
An occupational surname referring to a peddler or someone who sells goods, typically from a stall or cart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,470 Americans carry the last name Hawker. That puts it at #13,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,767 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hawker 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 Hawker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,767
Census rank
#13,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,154 bearers of the surname Hawker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hawker
The surname Hawker is an English occupational surname derived from the Old English word 'hǽwcere', meaning a hawker or a person who carried merchandise from town to town for sale. The name originated in the 12th century and was first recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1182 as 'Haueker'.
The name Hawker can be traced back to the medieval period when hawkers were itinerant traders who sold goods from their hawhkayrs, or portable stalls. They would travel from village to village, selling various items such as haberdashery, books, and household goods. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where many hawkers plied their trade.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hawker can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded a William le Haueker in Cambridgeshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mention a John le Hauker. These records provide evidence of the name's early existence and its association with the occupation of hawking.
Notable individuals with the surname Hawker include Sir John Hawker (1643-1677), an English naval officer who served during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and Robert Hawker (1753-1827), an English clergyman and writer best known for his book "Incidents in the Life of the Rev. Robert Hawker, D.D." Another prominent figure is Peter Hawker (1786-1853), an English country gentleman and renowned writer on shooting and fishing.
In the 19th century, the name Hawker gained further recognition with the birth of Robert Stephen Hawker (1803-1875), a renowned Anglican clergyman and author from Cornwall, who is best known for his poem "The Song of the Western Men." Additionally, Mary Hawker (1848-1898) was a British novelist and children's author, known for her works such as "The Bread of Deception" and "The Cabul Felicity."
Hawker is also the name of several places in England, such as Hawker in Cornwall and Hawker's Hill in Suffolk, which may have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname or from the occupation of hawking in those areas.
The surname Hawker has a rich history deeply rooted in the English tradition of itinerant trade and commerce, and its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hawker
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hawker 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 Hawker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 1,895
- Black or African American4.9% · 105
- Two or more races3.6% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hawker
Hawker 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
#14,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,089
+39 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 744 places
2020
#13,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,154
+65 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 827 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,584 | 2,050 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,328 | 2,089 | 0.71 | +39 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 744 places |
| 2020 | #13,501 | 2,154 | 0.72 | +65 bearers (+3.1%) | Up 827 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 Hawker 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 | #14,328 | #13,501 | 5.8% |
| Count | 2,089 | 2,154 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.72 | 1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hawker bearers went from 2,089 to 2,154 (+3.1% change). The surname moved up 827 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,328 to #13,501.
FAQ
Hawker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hawker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,470 living Americans carry the surname Hawker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,767 residents.
How common is Hawker?
Hawker ranks #13,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,154 people with the surname Hawker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,470), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Hawker.
Has Hawker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hawker went from 2,089 recorded bearers to 2,154. That is an increase of 65 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,328 to #13,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Hawker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hawker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (1,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hawker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hawker (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 Hawker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a peddler or someone who sells goods, typically from a stall or cart. 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 Hawker (0.72 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 Hawker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.