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

Hawkins, 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 Hawkins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hawkins in America

Hawkins is the 200th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hawkins surname appeared 139,751 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 47 people would have the surname Hawkins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hawkins 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 Hawkins

The surname Hawkins is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally derived from a given name. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English personal name "Hafoc," which means "hawk."

In the early days, the surname was often spelled as "Havekyn" or "Haukyn." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. The name was likely first adopted by the children or descendants of someone with the given name Hafoc or a nickname related to hawks or falconry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a person named "Hawekyn" as a land holder in Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name was already in use among the English nobility during the Norman conquest.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Hawkins began to appear more frequently in various records and documents across England. The variant spellings included "Haukin," "Haukyns," and "Hawkyns."

One notable figure with the surname was Sir John Hawkins (1532-1595), an English naval commander and explorer who was a central figure in the early English slave trade. He is credited with being the first Englishman to establish a trade route between England and the West Indies.

Another prominent individual was Benjamin Hawkins (1754-1816), an American politician and diplomat who served as a U.S. Indian agent and played a significant role in negotiating treaties with Native American tribes in the Southeast.

In literature, we find references to the surname in the works of William Shakespeare. In his play "The Merry Wives of Windsor," one of the characters is referred to as "Master Hawkins."

Other notable individuals with the surname include Sir John Hawkins (1719-1789), a British author and literary critic, and Stephen Hawkins (1722-1794), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London.

The surname Hawkins also has associations with various place names across England, such as Hawkins Hill in Oxfordshire and Hawkins Farm in Berkshire, further solidifying its longstanding presence in the country's history and geography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hawkins

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

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 Hawkins 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 Hawkins 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 Hawkins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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